


Duelist Kingdom

by AyameHatake



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Angst, Canon Rewrite, Duel Monsters, Dueling, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Mild Language, Minor Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-30
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:33:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 25,990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23388172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AyameHatake/pseuds/AyameHatake
Summary: It was so hot. Yugi could feel the sand under his feet as he walked. There was nothing to be seen for miles – just sand and the relentless sun. He was looking for someone? That felt right. But every direction he turned led him nowhere. The desert was wide and unforgiving.He walked on.* * *The adventure begins! This is an attempt to take the 4Kids dub and do whatever I want with it.
Relationships: Mutou Yuugi & Yami Yuugi
Kudos: 7





	1. The Heart of the Cards

_Long ago, when the pyramids were still young, the Egyptian kings played a game of great and terrible power. But these Shadow Games erupted into a war that threatened to destroy the entire world, until a brave and powerful pharaoh locked the magic away, imprisoning it within the mystical Millennium Items. Now, 5000 years later, 16-year-old Yugi Moto unlocks the secret of the Millennium Puzzle. He is infused with ancient magical energies, for destiny has chosen him to defend the world from the return of the Shadow Games, just as the brave pharaoh did 5000 years ago._

* * *

“Hey, Joey! Earth to Joey! Hey, are you in there? It’s your turn!” Yugi waved a hand in front of his friend’s face in an attempt to get his attention. Joey seemed to be stuck on the decision in front of him.

“Oh, isn’t he cute when he’s thinking?” Tristan teased, scraping his knuckles across Joey’s unsuspecting scalp.

Joey swatted at his hand. “Back off, dude! Yugi’s trying to teach me Duel Monsters and I can’t focus with you being an idiot.”

“Drooling Monsters?”

“Duel Monsters, you nimrod!” Joey shot back.

“Sheesh! Whatever you say.”

Téa laughed, rocking back in her chair from where she was seated next to Yugi. “They’ve been at it for hours! Joey’s just starting to catch on and he’s been getting his butt kicked. Yugi’s like an expert.”

Tristan leaned in closer. “An expert, huh? Well, explain it to me, wouldja?”

“Each card has an attack number and a defense number,” Téa replied, “and the first player to eliminate the other player’s life points wins the duel. Not that difficult a concept, unless you’re Joey, apparently.” Joey, ignoring them both, had finally reached a decision on his move. He set a card down on the playing field.

“Pretty good, huh?” he challenged Yugi. But Yugi just smiled as he played his own card.

“Pretty good! But not good enough!”

Joey took a moment to figure out the move that had just been made. “What?!” he yelled when he had finally parsed it out. “A card that powerful totally wipes me out!” The others laughed. A graceful loser, Joey was not.

“You stink at this game, bud,” Tristan said, elbowing Joey from where he had sat down next to him. Joey growled in disappointment. Yugi laughed again, resting a hand on the Millennium Puzzle around his neck. He thought he felt a warmth pulsing through it, like the Puzzle was also pleased with his win. Yugi was half convinced the thing had a mind of its own. He turned his attention back to Joey.

“You did fine, I just have better cards. If you come over to the game shop I can have my grandpa help you build a better deck. That’s how I do it,” he offered.

“Well, what are we waiting for! Let’s blow this popsicle stand.”

“Maybe we can even get Grandpa to show us his super rare card,” Yugi mused as his friends stood with him and pushed in their chairs. They grabbed their book bags and headed out, Tristan still ribbing Joey on his loss, all of them unaware that someone had been listening in on their conversation.

 _A rare card?_ Seto Kaiba thought to himself. _What are the odds it’s the card I’ve been searching for?_

* * *

Yugi held the door to the Turtle Game Shop open as his friends followed in behind him. "Grandpa! I'm home!" he called, knowing his grandpa was probably puttering around the back. The storefront was a single long room on the main floor. The walls were filled with shelves that were filled with games - card games, puzzles, board games. The register was on a counter at the back of the room, and the glass case it sat on contained Duel Monsters trading cards. It took Joey no time to sniff them out. He hunkered over the glass, trying to read the descriptions. Yugi's grandpa appeared from a door that led to the stockroom.

"I see you've brought company!" Solomon Moto laughed. His thick gray hair stuck out in every direction - it wasn't hard to see where Yugi had inherited it - and his voice seemed to fill the room.

Yugi joined Joey at the counter. "Hey, Gramps! I brought Joey to look at the trading cards, but could you show us your rare card? Pretty please?" Yugi knew his grandpa wouldn't be able to resist showing it off.

Grandpa laughed again. "Oh, why not. How could I refuse you. You all are in for a treat; I don't take this card out often." He had reached below the counter and pulled out a small box. Turning it so it opened outward, he lifted the lid. "Here it is! The Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Very rare and powerful within the game. I rarely take it out of the box."

The card, true to name, depicted a large blue-white dragon with long, sharp teeth and even longer talons. Its head was turned to show off its profile. One sharp eye was fixed as if it was staring right back at the viewer.

Tristan rapped his fingers on the counter. "It doesn't look all that special to me! No different from the other cards I've seen, anyway." Grandpa shook his head at Tristan's ignorance.

"There are only four of them in the world," he explained, "and this one is priceless to me."

"Speaking of price, I'm ready to trade!" Joey said. "Not for the Blue-Eyes," he added quickly, "but Yugi said you'd probably have some other good cards to get me started."

Grandpa was interrupted by the bell at the front door. Someone had just walked in. "Can I help you?" he called past the group at the counter.

"If you can't, it certainly wouldn't surprise me," came the acerbic response.

Yugi turned at the sound of the voice and elbowed Joey hard. "It's Seto Kaiba!" he whispered. This caught the attention of both the other boys.

"Doesn't he have some fancy company to run? The heck is he doing down here?" Tristan whispered back. But Kaiba overheard that one.

"Not that it's any of your business," he said snidely to Tristan, "but I came to see the card."

That took them all aback. "Are you into Duel Monsters, too?" Joey asked, confused but also intrigued. "Maybe we could all duel together sometime! I could beat someone new for a change."

Kaiba turned to face him at that. "Me? Duel you? I'd have more of a challenge playing Solitaire," he taunted. "I'm the number one ranked duelist in Japan and the favorite to win the Duel Monsters Championship. You wouldn't last two minutes against me. I know an amateur when I see one."

Joey, always one smart remark away from losing his temper, flared up at the insult. "Oooo, I'm shaking," he mocked the older boy. "Maybe you'd like to settle this with fists instead of cards?"

Yugi grabbed Joey by the arm, none too gently. "Joey, stop!"

But Kaiba's attention had turned. He had glimpsed the card that Grandpa so greatly treasured. "So it is here! The Blue-Eyes White Dragon," Kaiba said in disbelief. Grandpa closed the lid to the box and pulled it to himself.

"Is there anything else I can help you with?" he asked Kaiba.

Kaiba swung the briefcase in his hand up onto the counter and opened it to reveal stacks upon stacks of Duel Monsters cards. "I'm willing to trade you all of these for that Blue-Eyes," he offered, "or if you don't want to trade, name your price and I'll pay it." Yugi and the others stood speechless to the side.

Grandpa didn't have to think about his decision. "This card isn't for sale, I'm afraid. I'm aware of its rarity but it was a gift, and that has given it a heart that is worth more than you could ever pay." He set the box back below the counter.

This answer did not sit well with his customer. "You're kidding. You'd give up thousands, even millions of dollars for a card because it was a _gift?_ " he sneered. "Senile old fool." He closed up his briefcase, looking briefly to Yugi as he turned to leave. "You should talk some sense into him if his old brain can still comprehend that kind of thing." And with that he exited the shop as abruptly as he had entered. The bell rang as if relieved to see him go.

Kaiba didn't spare the shop another glance as he climbed into the back of his town car. _Heart of the cards. How stupid,_ he thought to himself as the car pulled away from the curb. _Cards are about power and how you wield it, and one way or another, I will get my hands on that Blue-Eyes._

* * *

Grandpa was busying himself in the back of the shop the next day when he heard the bell ring. It was too early for Yugi to be home from school, so that could only mean there was a customer waiting. Grandpa came to the door to find himself facing three gentlemen in suits who looked wildly out of place in the shop, and not a little unfriendly.

"My master, Seto Kaiba, challenges you to a duel," said one of the men. "You are to come with us right now and we'll take you to him."

"And if I refuse?"

The man reached up to adjust his sunglasses. "I'm afraid I must insist."

Grandpa nodded. "Very well, then. Let me get my deck and I'll be happy to teach your master a lesson."

* * *

"Do you know if your grandpa got any new cards in today?" Joey asked. The sun was bright, not a cloud in the sky over Domino City. Yugi shifted the weight of his backpack as the four of them approached the shop.

"Maybe! One way to find out," he replied as they went through the front door. "Grandpa, I'm home!"

After a moment of no response, Tristan poked his head through to the hallway that led to the store room. "Uh, Yugi, are you sure he's here?" he asked. Yugi frowned.

"The door was unlocked. He should be here somewhere."

"Maybe he had to run out?" Téa suggested.

Yugi had just made his way to the counter when the phone on the wall rang. He answered.

"Hello, game shop."

"Ah, Yugi. Perfect timing," came a smug voice from the other end.

"Kaiba?"

"Your grandfather is here visiting," Kaiba continued, "but he's not feeling well. Why don't you come by and pick him up."

“What have you done, Kaiba?!” Yugi cried. But the line had gone dead.

Yugi turned to see all three of his friends watching him with anticipation. He looked back at them with a grim expression. “We need to get to KaibaCorp, now.”

* * *

It took them little time to take a cab to KaibaCorp and even less time to find out from the woman at the front desk which floor Kaiba himself was on, but it felt like an eternity to Yugi. The elevator door opened and he was greeted by the sight of his grandpa crumpled on the floor. Yugi dropped to his knees beside him. “What happened?!” he asked, his heart pounding. “A-are you okay?” He took his grandpa by the elbow to try to help him prop himself up. Tristan was quick to move to Grandpa’s other side to do the same, and between them, they helped Solomon to his knees.

“Yugi,” Grandpa said in a breathless voice, “I . . . failed. I wanted . . . to teach that Kaiba a lesson about dueling – and teach him to show people respect – but . . . I lost.” Yugi gripped his grandfather’s arm tighter.

“It’s fine, it doesn’t matter – “

“How’s the old man feeling, hmm?” came a drawl from behind them.

“Kaiba, you dick!” Joey snapped, “What did you do?”

“We had a duel, is all, with each of us betting our rarest card as the prize. But I guess it was just too much stimulation for the old fool.”

Téa, too, was having a hard time controlling her anger. “You should be ashamed of yourself!” she spat, but Kaiba was unmoved.

“It was fair. And look at what I won!” He pulled the Blue-Eyes White Dragon from his pocket just long enough for all of them to register what it was – and then he tore it in half. Yugi’s eyes widened, stunned. But there was something else – something dark and angry inside him, like a tidal wave about to break over the bow of a ship at sea. Something, or it almost felt like some _one_ , was pushing at the edge of his consciousness, threatening to overwhelm. His heart kept beating faster.

“The Blue-Eyes is indeed a rare and powerful card,” Kaiba continued, “and now this one will never be used against me.”

“How could you – “ Yugi was struggling to get words out. This thing in his head was making it difficult to focus. But then Grandpa was trying to get his attention.

“Yugi, take this,” Grandpa said, and Yugi felt something being placed in his hand. He looked down. His grandpa’s deck.

“Grandpa – what?”

“I built this deck myself,” Grandpa said, “and I . . . taught you everything I know. Take them, Yugi. Finish . . . what I started. And maybe after all . . . Kaiba will come out of this . . . with a heart.”

“But you need help! I’m not going to just run after Kaiba because – “

“We got this, Yugi,” Joey said. “Don’t worry about him. Go kick Kaiba’s ass.”

Yugi and Tristan had moved Grandpa to a bench in the wide hallway and he sat back on it gratefully, still trying to catch his breath. Yugi stood, torn on what to do. Téa joined them and she gestured for Joey to come over too, out of Kaiba’s earshot. She crowded them close until the four friends were in a tight circle. She was digging through her purse.

“All right, gang,” she said, having found the black marker she was looking for, “it’s not a blood bond but it’ll do. Put a hand in the circle with mine.” The three boys did as they were told, and Téa drew a smiley face on their combined hands.

When she was finished, Joey inspected his part of the smiley closer. “Okay. What gives?”

Téa snapped the cap back onto her marker. “I hereby declare this the official symbol of our friendship. From now on, wherever we go, the other three will be there in spirit whether we like it or not.” Yugi couldn’t help but smile at that.

Téa was quickly back to business. “Tristan and I will help your grandpa and Joey will stay with you for the duel,” she said in a tone that brooked no argument. Kaiba hadn’t moved from where he’d been behind them. Yugi turned to his grandpa again, but he was waved away. “Go on, I’ll be fine,” Grandpa said. Still reluctant, Yugi turned to Kaiba.

“Okay. Let’s duel.”

* * *

The dueling arena was huge, with a podium at each end for the players to stand in. The stands around the stadium provided seating for where there would normally be an audience. Yugi stepped up the platform to take his place. The presence in his head was too much to ignore at this point, massive and unyielding.

“I designed this virtual stadium myself,” Kaiba was explaining. “Impressive, isn’t it? I think you’ll agree it adds a bit more life to the game. We each begin with two thousand life points. The first player to hit zero loses. Are you ready to play, kid?”

It was like a switch being flipped in Yugi’s mind. Suddenly he was merely a passenger, observing everything from inside his own mind but no longer in control. Someone else had stepped in – into his mind and into his body. He could feel a pulse coming from the Millennium Puzzle like a heartbeat. Whoever this was Yugi could tell two things – this being was very powerful, and he meant Yugi no harm.

“Playtime is over, Kaiba! It’s time to duel,” this darkness, this _yami_ , called back to Kaiba. His voice was deep and echoing and it took Kaiba by surprise. It sounded off from the Yugi he was familiar with. But the game had begun.

“Then let’s go. I begin by summoning Hitotsu-Me Giant in attack mode!” Kaiba laid the card on the screen in front of him. On the playing field, the beast warrior appeared, fixing his one large eye on Yami in front of him. Yami took a step back from his spot on the platform.

“He’s brought the monsters to life!” he exclaimed. From the stands, Joey was similarly in awe.

Kaiba laughed. “It’s my virtual simulator. It creates lifelike holograms of every Duel Monster.”

“So this is how you beat my grandfather! Well, it’s my turn now.” Yami placed his card on the screen. “I call on Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress!” The blue dragon materialized onto the field and Yami wasted no time calling his command. “Fireball attack!” The Winged Dragon loosed a massive fireball at his opponent. The image of the Hitotsu-Me Giant shattered like a mirror and was gone from the field.

“Seto! Are you all right?” Mokuba Kaiba had heard there was duel happening and had sought out his brother as quickly as possible. The older Kaiba brother could be reckless. Mokuba arrived just as Kaiba’s life point counter dropped from 2000 to 1800. But his brother was paying no attention to anything beyond the duel itself.

“Well played, Yugi. Not bad for a beginner. But let’s see how you deal with this.” A new card was placed on the screen and a moment later its image appeared on the field.

Yami eyed the new monster in front of him. “Saggi the Dark Clown? He has hardly any attack strength,” he pointed out to Kaiba.

“True, but if I combine it with my Negative Energy Generator magic card, it multiplies his attack by three, making him stronger than your dragon. Dark Clown, attack with dark light!” The clown did as ordered and Yami’s dragon shattered the same way Kaiba’s giant had. Yami watched his life point counter tick down to 1600. Across the field, Kaiba was grinning at him. “As you can see,” he said, “combining cards can be very effective.”

 _He’s good,_ Yugi thought, _He knows every aspect of this game. But Grandpa put all his skill into creating this deck and I have to believe there’s a strategy in here somewhere._ He was acutely aware that while Yami may have been in control, Yugi’s mind was still his own, though he was sure Yami could hear his thoughts. But even this body felt different than Yugi's own - it was taller, older. It was like he had completely traded places with someone else, but because of the Puzzle, their minds remained linked. But regardless of being displaced Yugi wanted to win, and it didn’t matter which of them was in control – he could tell that this dark spirit had the same desire for victory. Yugi watched as Yami drew a card. _Ah, this one is useless, it can’t beat the Dark Clown. I’ll have to use it in defense mode to protect my life points._ Yami set the card facedown.

Kaiba’s turn again. “Ha! That won’t save you now. Dark Clown, dark light attack!”

The facedown card shattered. Kaiba watched his opponent’s face for any sign of disappointment. “You’re not faring any better than the old man did, Yugi. Different player, same weak deck. You have nothing to beat me with.”

“I have more faith in these cards than you know, and it’ll get me further than your spite will ever get you,” Yami called back. He drew a card and smirked. “And my faith rewards me with Gaia the Fierce Knight!” The knight appeared on the field, his horse gearing up to charge. “Gaia, attack!” Saggi was quick to fold under the weight of the stronger monster, and Kaiba’s life points dipped to 1300.

“Hell yeah, Yugi! You got this!” Joey cheered from the sidelines.

“Your move, Kaiba,” Yami said, pleased with the advantage he had just gained.

Kaiba gave him a dark look. “This will be over sooner than you think,” he said as drew his next card. He smiled. “Well, look at that. I call on the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!”

“What?! We all watched him tear that card in half!” Joey voiced what he and Yugi were both thinking.

Kaiba laughed as his Blue-Eyes appeared on the field, larger than life and just as fierce as the depiction of it on the card itself. “Did you think your grandfather was the only one to possess this card? Blue-Eyes, attack!” Gaia stood no chance. There must have been more to this virtual game than Kaiba let on because Yami could feel the shockwave from the destruction of each card, and the waves from the more powerful attacks threatened to push him off the platform. The rush of air left him a little breathless. His life points went down to 900.

Across the room, Kaiba couldn’t help but look satisfied. “Your Fierce Knight is destroyed. Faith or no faith, you will be defeated, Yugi. Power is what determines the win; faith is for losers. There’s nothing in your deck that can hold up to a single Blue-Eyes . . . so what hope do you have against two?” Kaiba flashed the card just long enough for Yami to see that he did indeed hold a second dragon, and before long it was on the field next to its counterpart. “Why don’t you just surrender now, Yugi?”

"Not a chance," Yami said, "and now I play the magic card Swords of Revealing Light, which prevents your monsters on the field from attacking for three turns." Glowing white swords appeared, forming a ring around the dragons. Kaiba looked unimpressed.

"How desperate. What good will this delay do you?"

 _He's right,_ Yugi thought, _What do I do? All I have are these cards that look like a bunch of puzzle_ _pieces. Unless . . . what happens if I put them all together?_ There was something familiar about them. Like a memory he couldn't quite place. It was his turn to draw. Yami lifted the card only to reveal he had picked up another piece. _Wait a minute - could this be Exodia? Grandpa told me about him once, but there are five pieces and I need them all to summon him._

Kaiba wasted no time on his move. "Draw any card you like but it won't change the outcome. My dragons are frozen for another two turns but my new monster is under no such spell - the Judge Man, with an attack power of twenty-two hundred." The monster struck at Yami's side of the field, destroying his target with ease. Yami flinched back from the air wave that followed. His move.

The card he drew was a familiar one - the Dark Magician. Yami set him in attack mode. _He won't stand a chance when the dragons are freed, but he'll do for now._ "Dark Magician, attack his Judge Man!" A crack of light came from the magician's staff, and the Judge Man was no more. Kaiba's life points followed, now down to 1000.

"A sacrifice that doesn't even faze me," Kaiba said, "and even though neither dragon can move for one more turn, I still have this - the third Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

Yami watched in disbelief as the third dragon appeared. He had little time to think before Kaiba called the attack, and there was nothing to be done as his Dark Magician was destroyed and his life points knocked down to 400. "On my next turn all three dragons are free to attack. This game is over no matter what you draw. You were never a match for me," Kaiba said.

 _Kaiba had all three Blue-Eyes all along!_ Yugi thought frantically. _He only wanted Grandpa's so it couldn't be used against him. My only chance is to summon Exodia. But I need one more piece and the odds are against me . . ._

Yami reached for a card, but it seemed to move, to slide away from his grasp.

 _What's going on? The deck is sensing my doubt!_ Yugi faltered.

Then, for the first time, Yugi felt the dark spirit in his mind address him directly, the stronger mind turning inward to speak to the host of the body he shared. _Don't lose focus, Yugi!_ Yami said, _Don't lose faith. Concentrate. We have what it takes, and the heart of cards will guide us._ Yugi could see the ink on his hand from where Téa had marked him.

_If my friends believe in me, there's no reason I can't believe in myself._

"Draw your last pathetic card so I can end this, Yugi!" Kaiba's voice snapped him back to the moment.

"My grandpa's deck has no pathetic cards, Kaiba. But it does contain -" Yami held up the card he had just drawn for Kaiba to see. " - the unstoppable Exodia!"

"NO! That's not possible!" Kaiba cried. "No one's ever been able to summon him!"

Even as he spoke, the five pieces of Exodia were assembling on the field. The monster towered over Kaiba's dragons. Yami called out his final attack. "Exodia, obliterate!"

All three dragons were wiped from the field in an awesome display. Kaiba's life points hit zero. Mokuba stared in disbelief. _Seto never loses!_

Kaiba was bracing himself against the summoning screen with both hands, head hung low. "But . . . how? How could I have lost?"

"You only play for power, Kaiba. Your weakness is within your heart, and if you truly wish to see it, open your mind!" Calling on the power of the Millennium Puzzle, Yami reached out a hand, gripping Kaiba's consciousness, and with a surge of magic, Kaiba felt his mind unlock. He dropped to his knees, overwhelmed with the feeling. The light from the Puzzle faded and Yami released the magic.

"Maybe now, Kaiba, you will begin to see."

* * *

Yugi had stepped back into his own body as soon as the duel had ended, the dark spirit withdrawing to his corner of Yugi's mind. Yugi and Joey got back to the shop as quickly as they could. "Grandpa?" Yugi called, running to the hallway that led to their apartment. "Grandpa, are you here?"

The boys stepped into the living room and were greeted with the sight of Téa, Tristan, and Grandpa waiting for them, all three immediately asking a million questions about the duel. Yugi dropped onto the couch next to Grandpa, letting out a sigh of relief. All was well.

* * *

"Mr. Pegasus, sir. Our uncontested champion Seto Kaiba, he's . . . well, he's been defeated in a duel by someone named Yugi."

"Hmmm," Pegasus mused, his all-seeing Eye flashing in the dark.

_This is going to be_

_so_

_much_

_fun._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I had any say in doing the English dub over again, it'd be a little different. Chapter titles follow the U.S. official release episode titles. Yu-Gi-Oh! belongs to Kazuki Takahashi.


	2. The Gauntlet Is Thrown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pegasus issues his challenge.

School was dismissed, but they weren't ready to leave just yet. Not until the outcome of this duel was decided. "Joey, would you just make a move?" Tristan asked, his chin propped on his hand. Joey always took way too long with his turns. He finally slapped down a monster card as if to emphasize his decision.

"Look out, Téa, 'cause here comes my Rock Ogre, and he's gonna crush your wimpy little card!"

Téa pretended to be deep in thought behind her own cards. "Well, maybe I'll just play this - the Breath of Light. It wears down monsters made of stone and by my count, that little move makes me the winner."

"Nice job, Téa!" Yugi leaned over the table from his seat next to Joey to give her a high five. Joey had his face flat on the table.

"Why do I keep losing? I've won maybe twice!"

"Man, Joey. You really suck at this game," Tristan said, stating the obvious. The others couldn't help but laugh.

* * *

Joey caught up with Yugi on their way out of school and they paused on their way as Joey lamented his continued losses. "I don't know what the problem is. Can you look at my deck and tell me what you think?" Joey handed his deck to Yugi, who took a moment to thumb through the cards.

"Joey, you only have monster cards! That's not gonna get you anywhere. You have to have magic and trap cards to combine with the monsters. That's how you trip up your enemy and give yourself power boosts. How have you not noticed this?"

Joey shrugged. "I thought having strong monsters was enough! I don't know anything about the other types of cards. You're gonna have to teach me."

Yugi rolled his eyes in fond exasperation. Typical of Joey to just dive into something without asking questions. He handed the deck back to his friend. "Come to the game shop with me and let's see what we can figure out."

* * *

Grandpa was in the store hanging a poster of the Black Luster Soldier when the boys arrived. Yugi set his backpack down on the counter and turned to his grandpa while Joey perused the trading cards under the glass.

"Hey, Grandpa, what do you think about teaching Joey to duel? His deck is terrible, he needs better help than me."

Grandpa considered this. "Well, it's a complex game with a lot of rules. That'll take a lot of time and a lot of effort on Joey's part if he wants to succeed."

Joey perked up and came bounding over. "I can do it!" he said, "I'm a great student!" Yugi, who had seen his friend fall asleep in class more times than he could count, decided it would be best not to reveal said information if they wanted Grandpa's help. Joey was still trying to sell himself as a model student as Grandpa grilled him on the basics.

"I'll memorize, I'll do whatever you say!"

"Can you even name the most powerful monster in the game?"

"Ehh . . . "

"What about the weakest?"

"Oh, well, that's . . . uh - "

"What's a trap card?"

"Oh, boy."

* * *

"Welcome back to the Duel Dome for the Regional Championship, where Rex Raptor and Weevil Underwood continue to fight for the title!"

Yugi unmuted the TV as the duel came back from commercial break. The championship rounds had been going for weeks and they were finally down to the last two contenders. Joey was settled back against the couch. "I totally could've wiped the floor with these guys!" he said around a yawn.

Téa reached for the bowl of popcorn on the floor in front of her and chucked a larger piece at his head. "There's no way you're good enough. They've been dueling for years and you just started winning on a regular basis last Tuesday," she said.

"Not to mention you keep falling asleep while you've been trying to learn all the rules," Yugi added.

Tristan laughed. "He's falling asleep right now! I guess it really is you snooze, you lose." Sure enough, Joey appeared to be nodding off. Tristan was leaning over to push a piece of popcorn into Joey's unsuspecting ear when Grandpa joined them.

"Yugi, there's a package here for you."

Yugi tore his concentration away from the TV to see what Grandpa was talking about. "Who's it from?"

"See for yourself! I don't snoop through your mail." Grandpa handed him the package and Yugi hunted for the sender's address.

"What in the world? It's from Industrial Illusions!"

"The people who make Duel Monsters? What could they be sending you?" The mention of the box pulled Joey out of his doze.

"Maybe they heard I beat Kaiba?" Yugi wondered. "He did drop out of the tournament after he lost to me." Yugi felt a slight flare of consciousness in the back of his mind at the mention of Kaiba's name. The spirit within the Puzzle was always listening, though he hadn't spoken to Yugi again since that duel.

"Stupid Kaiba. I hate that guy," Joey said, making a retching noise. He turned back to the TV, reminded of the tournament taking place. "Are either of these punks really any good?" They all watched as Rex Raptor summoned his Two-Headed King Rex, prompting Weevil Underwood to counter with a Basic Insect card. Joey was about to make another wisecrack but Yugi waved a hand to shush him.

"Yes, his monsters look weak, but don't underestimate Weevil. He didn't get this far for nothing."

Sure enough, the next card Weevil played was a Vortex trap card. Rex's monster was stuck in place while Weevil upgraded his Basic Insect with Armor with Laser Cannon. They watched as Weevil dealt the winning blow to Rex's dinosaur. Joey whistled in surprise. "I guess the bug guy had a few moves, after all!"

The creator of Duel Monsters, Maximillion Pegasus, was being introduced to give Weevil his trophy. The floor of the duel area opened up and a platform rose out of it. The American inventor was dressed to the nines in a red suit, his silver hair falling in front of his face to conceal his left eye. He held the trophy and walked over to Weevil to shake his hand.

"Congratulations, Mr. Underwood. Your victory here has ensured that you will be able to compete at Duelist Kingdom," Pegasus said.Yugi had thought he would have a translator with him, but to his surprise, it turned out that Pegasus spoke fluent Japanese. His voice was cool and smooth. 

Yugi looked down at the box in front of him. _Duelist Kingdom? Does that have something to do with whatever this is for?_

* * *

"I'm sure you can expect thousands to sign up for Duelist Kingdom, sir. They won't be able to resist such a prize."

"And hopefully the Millennium Items will show up, as well," Pegasus replied, scrolling through his phone as the car pulled away from the Duel Dome.

"Also, sir, the package was delivered to the boy as you requested."

"Hmm, excellent! I can't wait to get started."

* * *

With the tournament over, Yugi had finally turned his full attention to the box. The inside was lined with a royal blue fabric, and the contents were a glove, two small gold stars, and a VHS tape. The glove had a large white cuff that had ten cutouts where it looked like you could fit the gold stars. There was no immediate answer to any of the questions running through his mind.

"Maybe there's an explanation on the tape?" Tristan offered. It was as good a guess as any. Yugi took the tape over to the VCR and slipped it in. For a moment, there was nothing but static. Then Pegasus appeared on the screen.

"Hello, Yugi boy. My name is Maximillion Pegasus, and I have a great deal of interest in you! I heard about your defeat of Seto Kaiba, and as a test of your skill, I'd like to duel you right now. There will be a time limit set for fifteen minutes, and when the time is up, the player with the highest amount of life points wins."

"He wants to duel you . . . through the video?" Joey scratched his head.

No one had time to respond before it happened - a bright golden light flashed from the TV, and suddenly everything was dark and cold. The room faded around them. Yugi turned to say something to Grandpa only to discover that everyone else had frozen in time. It felt unreal. He shivered in the chill of the room. "What is this?!" he cried, turning back to the TV. The spirit in the Puzzle was pressing against his mind, having also felt the threat as the world turned to shadow. This time Yugi had no qualms about relinquishing control; he and Yami quickly switched places. Maybe the spirit could handle this better.

"Relax, Yugi boy. I'll return you after the game," Pegasus laughed.

"Then start the clock and let's go!" Yami said firmly. This place made him uneasy.

"Nervous? You should be," Pegasus said as he watched Yami draw a card from the deck that had materialized in front of him.

"I will win," Yami said, "and you won't be allowed to keep my friends trapped like this."

"You won't beat anyone with that dragon card," Pegasus said in his smooth voice, and Yami gave a start.

 _How does he know what I drew?!_ For he had indeed drawn Koumori Dragon.

"How did you know that? Explain!" he demanded, but Pegasus just laughed again.

"I know all your moves before you even make them, Yugi boy, which is how I knew I would be needing this Dragon Capture Jar. Now your Koumori Dragon is under my control," he replied, which explained nothing, really. Yami eyed him with mistrust.

"That can't be true that you're just . . . reading my mind," he said tensely.

"Welcome to the Shadow Realm, where anything is possible!" Pegasus said. "Do you believe in magic? If not, now would be a good time to start."

"What do you mean, magic? This is just a game! One that _you_ invented!"

"No, I didn't, not really. In ancient Egypt they called this the Shadow Game. Pharaohs would duel with real monsters and real magic, until one day they lost control of that power and almost destroyed the world with it."

"But the monsters can't be real." Yami was trying to wrap his head around what Pegasus was telling him.

"No? Watch as my Dragon Piper uses his Flute of Resurrection to free Koumori Dragon from the jar. Dragon, attack now!"

The dragon reared up to loose his flame and Yami scrambled to defend. "I summon Silver Fang!" The wolf leapt from the card to meet the attack. The fire was intense. Yami leaned away from the explosion. _How am I feeling the heat from the flames? This isn't real!_ His life points dropped to 1500.

"You amuse me, Yugi boy," Pegasus said as the flames settled. "This is a dangerous game and your ignorance of it is quite entertaining. As I was saying, the world was almost destroyed five thousand years ago as the magic from the Shadow Games ran unchecked, until a powerful pharaoh locked the magic away. He captured the energy in seven different items, hiding them from those who would misuse them."

"Are you saying my Puzzle is one of the items?"

"Yes, but you've no idea how to unleash that power, do you?"

"Why are you telling me this?"

"I thought perhaps you should know. But maybe I've said too much."

Yami did have questions, but the time was still counting down. He looked at one of the cards in his hand - Zombie Warrior. _Should I play this? Or does he know I have it? Wait . . . his eye that he hides. That might be what he's using to see into my hand. But what if I play a card even I haven't seen?_ Closing his eyes, Yami drew a card from his deck and set it facedown without looking at it.

"I know you have Zombie Warrior, and I have just the card to counter him," Pegasus taunted.

Yami opened his eyes. "That's where you're wrong, Pegasus. My next card . . . is Dark Magician!" Yami had flipped over his facedown card, revealing the spellcaster.

"Go ahead and attack, if you think it'll help," Pegasus said with a smirk.

Yami needed no prompting. "Go, my magician! Dark magic attack!" It was an easy defeat of Koumori Dragon, and Pegasus's life points dropped to 1200.

"Well done! You played right into my hand," Pegasus said with glee. "I play Faceless Mage and I combine him with Eye of Illusion." The mage appeared as his turn ended. Yami frowned at the new monster and called for Dark Magic Attack once more. But when the dust settled, the Faceless Mage still stood.

Five minutes remained on the clock.

Pegasus had drawn a card for his turn, and it was Yami's move once more. Summoning Celtic Guardian, he called for another attack on the Faceless Mage. Pegasus shook his head as he watched what he knew to be a futile assault. "You underestimate the power of Eye of Illusion! And now my mage, dark magic attack!"

Yami watched in confusion as the mage came at his monster with an attack it shouldn't have been able to use. And then he realized. "Impossible. You're controlling my Dark Magician!" But it was too late to do anything about it now. His life points were at 400 and time was running out.

"Time is almost up! It looks like I win," Pegasus crowed.

"Not quite! I have time for one more move. I call forth Summoned Skull! Attack!"

Pegasus looked nervous as Summoned Skull swung for his monster, but time was on his side. The clock hit zero just before Summoned Skull connected with his target. Pegasus relaxed, cool and collected once more.

"If that attack had gone through I would have lost! But I didn't, did I? I have taken the measure of your talents this day, Yugi Moto, and when next we duel we shall play for far higher stakes."

"No, I'm done with your games." Yami shook his head.

"Well according to me and my Millennium Eye, you have no choice!"

Before Yami could process what Pegasus had said about the Eye, the golden light that had plunged them into shadow lit up the room once more.

"With proper incentive, anyone can be made to play my games," Pegasus said as he retreated into the darkness. "We _will_ duel again."

A dread settled over Yami, and as he watched Pegasus disappear, a new face was there to take his place - Grandpa. Yugi was struck with such a horror that he took control back from Yami almost without noticing, and Yami let him. The shadows around him were fading as the real world came back into view.

"Yugiii!" Grandpa was fading from the TV, and it suddenly went black. Silence fell.

". . . Grandpa?" Yugi stared back at his own reflection in the empty screen. _"Grandpa!"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I imagine quarantine is what the Shadow Realm feels like. But it's more of a Purple Realm, really. Shadows aren't known for being purple. (That joke belongs to LittleKuriboh.)


	3. Journey to the Duelist Kingdom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang heads to Duelist Kingdom.

Yugi stood at the chain link fence that surrounded the rooftop he and his friends often came to as an escape. He was alone today. He didn’t want to be home by himself any more than he had to. Joey had taken to coming over and spending the night on the couch, having guessed at what Yugi hadn’t said out loud – the house was too quiet without Grandpa. Yugi had replayed that duel over and over in his head trying to see it from every angle, if there was some way he could have beat Pegasus. But it was too late for that now. Grandpa was gone. Vanished by the magic of the Millennium Eye. All Yugi could do now was whatever Pegasus wanted of him.

 _But I’m not really alone, am I?_ His hand strayed to the cord that held the Millennium Puzzle around his neck. He had considered trying to reach out and contact the spirit within. Yami only seemed to surface when Yugi was in trouble or needed help, or when strong emotion overcame him – fear, excitement, anger, helplessness. Yugi could feel the divide in his mind but he hesitated to knock on that particular door. Yami seemed to have his same interests at heart and meant him no ill will, but the idea of looking directly into that dark and cavernous mind was daunting.

He would leave Yami be for now. Maybe save that for a day when he felt a little braver, a little less distracted by the problem at hand.

* * *

Joey pulled the videotape from the envelope and gave it a wary look. He knew from the postage that it wasn’t from Pegasus but the sight of it took him back to that day at Yugi’s when everything had been turned upside down. Hearing Yugi’s side of the story had thrown Joey for a loop. There had been a duel? Right there in the living room? No time had passed for Joey and the others; they had been watching Pegasus on the tape and next thing they knew Yugi was in front of them shouting at the TV and Grandpa was gone. It had taken some time for Yugi to calm down enough to explain what had happened.

Shaking his head as if to clear it of the bad memory, Joey focused on the screen in front of him. A moment of static and then there she was! His sister was fifteen now, six years older than when he had last seen her. Her face had lost so much of its babyish shape and her red hair was longer than he remembered. She waved to the camera.

“Hey, Joey! It’s been a while, huh? I hope you’ve been doing all right. I know we haven’t talked much since I had to leave with Mom. This is just a . . . a little something to say I miss you and I’d hoped to see you again before I can’t see anything anymore. The doctor said that the window to fix things is closing. So. Hope you’re well. Love you!”

Joey watched on the tape as Serenity leaned forward to switch off the camera. He sighed. Not much seemed to be going right lately.

* * *

Yugi had finally left the roof to head home. Pulling out his keys to unlock the front door, he noticed the envelope. He wasn't surprised at the contents, but his hands shook all the same – the formal invitation to Duelist Kingdom had arrived.

* * *

“The tournament is on an island? Talk about excessive,” Téa said as she looked over the invitation the next day at school.

“Do you think your grandpa is there?” Joey asked.

“If Pegasus is there, I’m sure that’s where Grandpa is, too,” Yugi replied gloomily. “The ship is leaving in two days and that invite guarantees me a spot.”

“Yugi, you can’t go alone! You’re walking right into a trap and you know it,” Téa said, “so at least let us come with you. The invitation says spectators can buy their own tickets.” She passed the invitation to Tristan’s outstretched hand.

“Yeah, why not? Couldn’t miss watching you beat Pegasus. He’s totally playing with you! But also,” Tristan continued to scan the paper, “this says the winner takes home three million dollars!”

“Who cares about the money?” Yugi said dismissively.

But Joey had snatched the invitation from Tristan. “Three mil? Are you serious?”

“Apparently Joey cares,” Téa murmured to Yugi.

* * *

Yugi wandered back up to the rooftop after school to find Joey had already beat him there. He was sitting back against the wall where the stairwell led out, his long legs splayed in front of him. Yugi felt that familiar tinge of jealously that most everyone in his grade was taller than him. But being short had its advantages. He dropped down next to his friend, copying his posture. “What’s up?”

“Ah, nothin’. Just thinkin’ about some stuff.” Joey paused for a moment. “I heard from Serenity.”

“Oh, yeah?” Yugi waited. It wasn’t often Joey talked about his family.

“Yeah, her eyes are getting worse. They’ll be unfixable soon. The surgery costs a ton of money and Serenity didn’t say anything, but I know Mom can’t afford it.” Joey flicked a piece of gravel off his leg. “There’s gotta be a way to help them both – your grandpa, my sister. I’ll come to Duelist Kingdom. We’ll figure it out.”

“Thanks. That means a lot.” Yugi smiled, his first real smile in days.

Joey grinned back. “Hey, remember when we met and you showed me this spot?”

“How could I forget? It took me a while to decide you were trustworthy enough to show you this place. I used to come up here to work on the Puzzle.” Yugi ran a finger along the edge of the Puzzle and somewhere deep within, he felt the spirit stir at the mention. “Did I ever tell you the Puzzle was originally found in Egypt? Grandpa gave it to me to solve. Took me forever. I made a wish on it – I asked it for a friend, and I think it worked, even though you guys were total jerks at first.”

“We were just trying to toughen you up so you stood a chance against the real bullies!”

“Oh, really? That’s why you stole a piece of the Puzzle and threw it into the pool? To toughen me up?” Yugi said with a pointed look.

“You ended up getting beat to a pulp, anyway," Joey said sheepishly.

Yugi remembered the day well. Joey and Tristan had already taken a beating by the time Yugi stumbled into them and the notorious school bully. He had planted himself firmly between the boys and their oppressor and he had paid for it with a pound of flesh. His head hurt at the memory.

“You stood up for us,” Joey continued, “and we got a friend out of the deal, too.”

“Pretty sure I only cut you some slack because you got the missing piece back for me,” Yugi teased, “and because you apologized.”

“And we meant it,” Joey said quietly.

Now was as good a time as ever for Yugi to reveal the decision he had made this morning when they had been talking about the invitation. Joey’s news about Serenity had only confirmed what Yugi had suspected. “Here, Joey,” Yugi held out something in his hand, “this is for you. Contact Industrial Illusions and tell them you misplaced your invitation. This will convince them you had one in the first place.”

Joey reached to take what Yugi was offering and his eyes widened in surprise at the small gold star that Yugi dropped into his palm – a star chip, required for those who wanted to be entered as duelists at Duelist Kingdom.

“Yugi, are you – are you sure? This means you’d be starting with one less star than everyone else!” Joey stared at his friend in amazement.

“I’m sure. You’ll do great,” Yugi said. _And_ _I want you to have a chance at the prize money,_ he added silently in his head. Joey closed his fist over the star with a smile.

“Thanks, pal. I owe you one.”

* * *

“Attention, duelists! We are now boarding the ship. Please form the line here, and spectators, form a separate line here.” Kemo, acting head of security for Duelist Kingdom, was standing on the ramp to the ship giving directions. Yugi waved at Téa and Tristan, who were across the way boarding from the spectator side. Joey was in front of him, shifting impatiently. There were a lot of famous faces in the line with them. Yugi’s head was swimming trying to take it all in.

They boarded with ease and left their bags in their assigned room; Yugi had been able to arrange for Joey to room with him. Tristan and Téa were at the opposite end of the ship. Yugi and Joey headed to the main deck where the other duelists had congregated while they waited for their friends to get settled in. They watched from the rail and felt the sway as the ship set out from the dock. 

“Man, the other duelists could really take advantage if they knew we each only had one chip,” Joey said. Yugi elbowed him hard.

“Then maybe shut up about it!”

Neither of them noticed as they were approached by a fellow contestant. “Well, what do we have here?” a confident voice said.

The boys turned to find themselves being sized up by a woman who was maybe an inch shorter than Joey and stunning to boot. It took a moment before Yugi recognized her as 24-year-old Mai Valentine, who had been a runner up at regionals. She was even more intimidating in person and she was all eyes for Yugi and not a care for Joey, who was oogling her in a highly unsubtle manner. “So you’re Yugi Moto!” she gushed. “I’m amazed that a squirt like you beat Seto Kaiba. You’re famous!”

“He sure is,” Joey said before Yugi could reply, “and I’m the famous boy’s friend, Joey Wheeler. Nice to meet ya!”

“Listen, punk, there’s only two kinds of people – you’re either a champ or a chump.” Mai gave Joey a look that said exactly what she thought of him in that regard. She turned back to Yugi. “You should cut him loose. He’s fashion challenged and deserves to be crushed!”

“Pleeease crush me,” Joey said in a thick voice.

“I’ll crush you all eventually,” Mai replied with a smirk. She winked at Yugi and turned on her heel to leave the way she came. They watched her go, Joey still with stars in his eyes. Yugi took his friend by the arm and steered him toward a cabin where the other duelists had gathered. “Let’s go look around some more, yeah?”

The cabin was buzzing with talk and trade as the boys entered, but before they could decide where to get started, they were interrupted again.

“Aren’t you Yugi Moto?”

Yugi turned to see Weevil Underwood and Rex Raptor standing behind them. This time, he was able to find his voice. “Yeah, that’s me. And you’re Weevil Underwood! Congratulations on your win at regionals.”

“Oh, he only won ‘cause I went easy on him,” said Rex. But this jibe didn’t bother Weevil, who was looking at Yugi like he was trying to find his weaknesses.

“I can’t really be the champion until I beat the duelist who beat Seto Kaiba,” Weevil said, “and to get you on my level before the dueling starts, I’m going to let you in on the island’s secrets.”

“Isn’t that kind of cheating?” Yugi asked.

“The other duelists will figure it out soon enough. There are new rules on the island that will change the game,” Weevil started to explain, but Rex didn’t care for it.

“Rules, schmules. You either smash or get smashed,” the dinosaur duelist said, “and I’m ready to crush all these punks. Out of my way!” Rex elbowed past Joey, who moved out of his path and into the crowd to start trading. Weevil watched Joey go.

“Everyone’s down here getting ready for the tournament, trading their cards and swapping strategy. I see you only have one star chip - you better hope to win your first duel.” Weevil’s beady eyes scanned his competition.

 _This is how he figures everyone else out beforehand!_ Yugi thought. _He listens to them talk about their moves and gets an idea of the cards in their deck._ Weevil turned back to Yugi.

“If you’re trying to strengthen your deck at this point you stand no chance.” He jerked a thumb to where Joey was doing just that. “They should have been ready for this. Last-minute changes won’t do them any good!”

* * *

Mai Valentine was in the middle of complaining about her room to one of the staff when she saw Rex Raptor headed down one of the other halls to where the luxury rooms were located. She had been stuck with one of the standard cabins like some low-rate duelist. Maybe she hadn’t finished in the top three, but she deserved better than this! The sight of Rex gave her an idea, and she left off to fall in step behind Rex. He had overheard part of the argument and laughed when he saw her. “Keep acting up and they’ll toss you out! Bet you wish you were me – I have a luxury suite,” he bragged.

Mai knew how to deal with idiots like him. “Really?” she asked in her sweetest voice. “Can I see it?”

* * *

Téa had let Tristan drag her out to the rail to watch the waves, but she had left her coat in her room. It had started to rain. She shivered. “I’m freezing!”

“In another few hours the sun will rise,” Tristan pointed out unhelpfully.

“Well I’m not waiting around for the sun to warm me up! Let’s go find Joey and Yugi and we can all hang out in one of our rooms.” She turned to go and spotted a familiar face. She tapped Tristan on the arm to get him to turn around. “Isn’t that Ryou Bakura? What’s he here for?”

Tristan spotted their classmate further down the railing. “Is he a duelist? Maybe he’s in the tournament.”

* * *

“You like my room?” Rex asked as he settled into a chair. Mai was showing herself around.

“Yes, you must be a great duelist!” She was laying on the flattery. It was amusing to watch it go straight to Rex’s thick head. “I love Duel Monsters. How about we play?”

“Yeah, right. There’s no way you’re beating me," Rex snorted.

“Tell you what – if you win, I’ll give you a kiss.”

Hook, line, and sinker.

* * *

“I got some good trading in!” Joey had finally decided he was done tinkering with his deck. He held out his new cards for Yugi’s approval.

“Let’s see – Salamandra, Kunai with Chain, Baby Dragon, Shield and Sword. These are pretty good!”

“Hell yeah! I’m ready to win.”

Yugi reached into his pocket for his second gift for Joey. “Here, this card is for you, too – Time Wizard. With any luck it’ll get you out of some tight spots in the upcoming duels.”

* * *

Mai handed her deck to Rex. “Go ahead and cut my deck, won’t you?”

“So what happens if you win?” he asked, wondering what this could be about.

“If I win, then I get your room!” Mai said cheerily. “And the card you’re looking at right now is Shadow of Eyes.”

Rex blinked. He had indeed stopped to peek at the top card in her deck, and it was indeed Shadow of Eyes. “How did you do that? And what makes you think you can beat me?!”

“The next card is Harpy’s Lady, then Elegant Egotist, followed by Cyber Shield. I always know which cards are which in my deck and I can draw them at any time!”

Rex gulped. This was maybe not going to be as easy as he thought.

* * *

Yugi and Joey had stepped outside the cabin to look for Téa and Tristan when they were once again joined by Weevil. “Get any trading in, Yugi?”

“Nope, my deck is set.”

“I heard you beat Kaiba by using Exodia. Could I maybe see the Exodia cards? Please?”

Yugi was about to answer when he felt a pull from the Puzzle like a warning. Or did he just imagine it? Weevil and Joey were looking at him expectantly. Yugi shook his head to clear the odd feeling and reached for his deck. “I don’t see why not. Just be careful with them.” He handed the five cards to Weevil who took a moment to examine them.

“So these are the most powerful cards in the game, huh?” Weevil turned away from them and took a step toward the deck rail. “I’ve been racking my brain trying to come up with a way to beat them and I couldn’t think of one . . . until right now.” And with that Weevil threw the cards over the edge of the ship, laughing as they swirled through the air.

“NO!” Yugi leaned over the rail in horror, reaching as far as he could, but they were well out of arm’s length. Joey, however, had noticed that the wind had blown two of them back onto the deck and he started sprinting down along the rail.

“I got ‘em!” he cried as he grabbed the first off the floor and then made for the second. He had just closed his fingers around it when he felt his foot catch. He pitched dangerously off balance and was a hair’s breadth away from tipping over the rail into the ocean below when he felt hands grab him from behind and yank him back. He lost his balance completely and landed hard, taking down his rescuers as he fell.

“Ow, man, you’re on my hand!” came Tristan’s voice from next to him.

“My bad!” Joey rolled off Tristan only to bump into Yugi who had grabbed him from the other side. Téa stood above them, not sure how to help.

“Are you okay?! Joey, you moron, what were you thinking running along the deck like that! It’s so slick, you could have gone overboard!” she chastised.

Joey was about to protest but Yugi waved him away.

“No, Joey, she’s right. Thank you for trying, but trading cards aren’t worth drowning over.”

* * *

Mai shoved Rex out into the hall and tossed his bag after him. Good thing he hadn’t stopped to unpack. “Get out, loser! Thanks for the room!” She shut the door, satisfied with how that had turned out. _If all the duels on the island are that easy,_ she thought to herself with a smirk, _this tournament will be a piece of cake!_

* * *

The four went back to Joey and Yugi’s room, each of them grabbing a towel from the bathroom to dry off with. Joey took off his wet coat and hung it behind the door. He ran the towel through his damp blonde hair, frustrated. “Sorry I only got two of the cards. I really would have jumped in after the rest.”

“I know you would have, but really, it’s okay," Yugi said.

“It just feels like I’m off to a bad start. I couldn’t even get all your cards, how am I supposed to help Serenity?” Joey flopped down onto his bed in defeat.

Téa turned to him, surprised. “You heard from her?”

“How’s she doing?” Tristan asked as nonchalantly as he could. He had been harboring a secret crush on Serenity for years now, though he hadn't seen her much in person since she and Joey's mom had moved.

“She’ll be blind before too long if she can’t get the operation she needs. I guess the doctor said her eyes will be impossible to repair soon. I gotta win that prize money for her! It’s all I can think about.”

“We’ll do our best,” Yugi reassured him. “For Serenity and for my grandpa.”

Tristan stood to look out the window, and he gestured with excitement. “The island! I can see it!”

Yugi took a deep breath and felt the Puzzle thrum with a similar anticipation. “Duelist Kingdom. We’re almost there.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's so funny to me that 4Kids didn't censor the "Please crush me" line. Incredible.


	4. Into the Hornet's Nest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The dueling begins.

_It was so hot. Yugi could feel the sand under his feet as he walked. There was nothing to be seen for miles – just sand and the relentless sun. He was looking for someone? That felt right. But every direction he turned led him nowhere. The desert was wide and unforgiving._

_He walked on._

* * *

Yugi blinked awake slowly. The desert from his dream dissolved with his wakefulness even as he tried to hold it in his mind’s eye. _Why does that particular dream keep coming back?_ _  
_

The ship swayed gently. Joey was still sound asleep, snoring softly. Téa and Tristan had eventually gone back to their own rooms last night; it had been late by the time they had all gotten into bed. The ship had docked early in the morning. All the competing duelists were required to be at the castle at noon. A glance at the clock told Yugi it was only 9:45am. They had time.

Yugi picked up the Puzzle from where it sat at his bedside table and settled back against his pillow, turning it thoughtfully. Maybe now was a good time to see what Yami was up to, before the dueling began. With his eyes closed, Yugi withdrew into his mind to where he knew the divide lay.

The Puzzle seemed to give off a thrum of energy as Yugi found himself inside that strange chamber where his and Yami’s minds were at the same time together and separate. A dark hallway ran between their two doors. Yugi took a tentative step toward the other door just a few feet away. It looked rather uninviting. He raised a hand to knock – the formality felt appropriate. They hadn’t even really introduced themselves, but the spirit of the Puzzle already knew Yugi’s name and probably much more, from the way Yugi could tell he was always observing.

He hesitated. Yami’s power was radiating from the door and it felt dark and intimidating. Maybe they didn’t need to speak directly just yet. Yugi cleared his throat. _Uh, hi there. You can probably hear me from here. I, um, just wanted to say that the tournament – you know, uh, Duelist Kingdom, that one – starts in a few hours and . . . well, I’m okay with it if you wanted to switch out and duel some more. Like you did with Kaiba. And Pegasus. Although, these duelists probably won’t be as much of challenge, you know, there’s a lot of amateurs here . . . I’m rambling, sorry. That’s all! Have a . . . nice day? If we don’t speak again? Okay. Bye._

Turning quickly on his heel, Yugi started to retreat to the safety of his own mind, but not before he felt a flicker of amusement come from Yami’s door.

A loud beeping jolted Yugi back into the world. Joey’s hand appeared from under his sheets and slapped his phone, shutting off the alarm he had set for 10am. He sat up and stretched, grinning at Yugi from under sleep-mussed hair. “Up and at ‘em! Today’s the day!”

* * *

Téa waved when she spotted Joey and Yugi on the deck. Tristan was next to her studying a map of the island. They had to be at the castle soon to hear the announcements before the dueling started. “Everyone ready?” Téa asked. Joey opened his mouth to respond, but what came out instead was a loud sneeze.

Yugi flinched away from the splatter. “Gross, Joey, cover your nose! Are you getting a cold from being in the rain yesterday?” he asked.

Téa handed Joey a tissue from her bag to save him having to wipe his nose on his sleeve. “Uh, maybe. Or maybe I just had to sneeze, who knows.” He tossed the used tissue into a nearby garbage can. “But who cares, it’s time to go! This island looks huge,” he said, gazing around the land where they were docked. Tristan folded the map and started to lead them to the ramp to disembark.

“It's actually not as big as you'd think, probably so people don't get lost the whole time. If we go this way we can follow the path leading to the castle.” He pointed out the trail that seemed to be leading toward the mountains in the distance. Yugi touched the glove on his hand that held the single star chip. Grandpa was out there waiting for him; he was sure of it.

“We gotta start somewhere,” he said to his friends, and together they headed down the path to whatever lay beyond.

* * *

It wasn’t as far to go as they had thought. The castle loomed ahead of them at the top of an incredibly long staircase. Kemo was at the bottom of said staircase, and he spotted the group as they approached. “Welcome!” he called, “Please follow the stairs to meet your host.”

“Well, this seems like overkill,” Joey said as he paused at the first step. “Was this really the best piece of real estate on the whole island? The castle just HAD to be way up there?”

“Start walking, Your Highness, we don’t have all day. If you ask nicely maybe Yugi will put you on his shoulders.” Tristan gave him a shove from behind. Téa laughed at that, already having started up the first set of stairs with Yugi close behind. Joey gave a long sigh and began to follow.

“Did anyone bring snacks?” he asked after a minute.

"Yeah, here." Téa tossed him a granola bar from her bag. “The map said there are cabins all over the island where we can stop for food and stuff, and even sleep if we’re too far out and don’t want to walk all the way back to the ship. And there’s a – “ She stopped, looking over her shoulder.

“What’s the matter?” Yugi tried to follow her gaze.

“I thought I saw Bakura again. Why doesn’t he come and talk to us?”

Yugi glanced over the stairs he could see below them. “I don’t see him. There’s a lot of people here, are you sure it was him?”

“Maybe I just imagined it," she shrugged.

“Can you use your imagination to get us to the top of these stairs?” Joey complained, which earned him another shove from Tristan.

“Give it a rest, dude, we’re almost there. How are you so out of shape?”

“Lay off! You’re not exactly in prime condition, either.”

* * *

The entryway in front of the castle doors was already quite full by the time they reached the top. There was a balcony overlooking where everyone was gathered. Excited conversation buzzed throughout as spectators and duelists alike waited for the arrival of Pegasus. Yugi had already spotted Weevil in the crowd and steered clear; their little group waited off to one side. Joey leaned back on the parapet to catch his breath when Tristan swatted him on the arm with excitement.

“It’s Mako Tsunami! I’d love to see him duel in person. But maybe you should leave him be until you have more than one star chip to bet. Start with some of these others who are easy pickings.”

“You don’t think I can beat him?!" Joey sounded more offended than the suggestion warranted.

“You want me to answer that honestly?”

Joey was about to return the swat when he saw Mai Valentine standing across the way and decided he didn’t want to risk looking like an idiot in front of her.

Yugi, meanwhile, was trying to eavesdrop on a conversation behind him. Two girls about his age were talking about the duel that had landed him here in the first place. One of them had bright pink hair the color of cotton candy. “Where’s Seto Kaiba? Is he really not coming?” she asked her friend. The other girl had on a dueling glove and she shook her head.

“I guess not. He got beat on his own turf; I wouldn’t want to show up, either. Kind of embarrassing for the reigning champ, don’t you think?”

“Maybe. But this would have been his best chance at getting his title back.”

“There will be other – “

She was interrupted by Kemo, who had brought up the rear as the last contestants arrived. His booming voice rang across the entryway.

“Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome your host, Maximillion Pegasus!”

Then the man himself appeared on the balcony, his silver hair concealing what Yugi now knew to be the Millennium Eye. Yugi's fists clenched at his sides, and he heard Joey say in a low voice, “What I wouldn’t give to have five minutes alone with that guy.”

Pegasus, composed as always, gave a wave to the crowd below. The anticipation was palpable.

“Greetings!” he began, “I am Maximillion Pegasus. Welcome to Duelist Kingdom! If you are here to compete, then you know you are the best of the best, but only one of you will emerge as king of games. Your decks must be arranged with care, creativity, and cunning. You’ve each been given a glove that holds a total of ten star chips. You win star chips by betting them in each duel you play, and you must win ten in order to enter the castle and the finals, where you will face me for the title.” He paused to let everyone absorb this information.

“There are state of the art duel arenas stationed all over the island. There are also new rules in place for this tournament, but to keep things more exciting, you’ll have to figure them out on your own. My advice to you is this: play boldly, think strategically, and duel mercilessly. You have one hour to prepare your decks and yourselves. When the fireworks appear above the castle, the dueling begins!”

The crowd gave a cheer as Pegasus waved them goodbye. _So Yugi has taken the bait,_ he thought to himself with a smirk. _Just as I planned._

* * *

The trip back down the stairs was less of a challenge, and Tristan corralled the others to one side when they got to the bottom so as to avoid the crowd. Joey was beginning to get cold feet after seeing all the competition. “I dunno if can win anything here, Yoog, maybe you should take your chip back.” Joey had popped the chip out of his glove and was rolling it between his fingers nervously.

“You’ll be fine. Just take it one duel at a time," Yugi said.

“You just gotta work your way up,” Tristan offered.

“Easy for you to say,” Joey mumbled, “I don’t exactly have room for mistakes here.”

“Do either of you want to try and trade before it starts?” Téa asked. “Or we could just start wandering the island until the fireworks start.”

“I vote wandering,” Yugi said. “How ‘bout this way along the woods?”

“Works for us,” Tristan said, steering Joey in said direction before he had time to protest. The wooded area they were walking along stretched to the base of the mountains, and they could hear running water nearby. Now that everyone had spread out, it almost felt like they were alone.

A crack sounded in the sky above them. The fireworks – and with it, the tournament – had begun.

* * *

They had wandered a little father when Yugi suddenly felt a flare from the Puzzle. And it wasn’t the benevolent amusement from earlier – this felt angry. Yugi quickly scanned their surroundings and spotted what Yami had somehow already picked up on: Weevil was standing at the edge of the woods, clearly waiting for Yugi to notice him. Téa saw him, too. “I hope he’s ready to get his ass kicked,” she growled.

“Weevil Underwood! I challenge you!” He started to walk in that direction but Weevil turned and ran into the woods. Yugi took off after him, trusting the others to follow.

“What’s he up to?!” Joey asked as they chased. “Does he know something we don’t?”

 _I wonder if this has to do with the new rules,_ Yugi wondered. He spotted Weevil in the clearing ahead. The other duelist had stopped running and he had a look on his face that Yugi didn’t like.

“It’s time for you to answer for what you did on the ship!” Yugi said firmly. “We’ll see if you duel as well as you run.”

“Was I running or was I leading you into a trap?” Weevil asked with a cock of his head.

No one had time to answer before they felt the ground start to shake. They turned at the sound of two large doors sliding open, and the duel arena rose up from its underground chamber. It had a podium stationed at either end, one red and one blue, and the gray grid in between was the playing field. A ladder unfolded from each podium to allow access; they would be well off the ground during the duel.

 _Is this another sort of dueling device like the one at KaibaCorp?_ asked a voice in Yugi’s head, nearly knocking him over in surprise. Yami wasn't trying to switch; it was more like he had surfaced just to talk. The power coming from him was going to take some getting used to, but as before, there was no animosity. His strong will and his desire to win were what Yugi most easily felt. What he wanted beyond that was a mystery.

Yugi shook his head in an attempt to focus. In the brief moment he had been distracted Weevil had gone up to the red platform and was shuffling his deck. Yugi turned to his friends. “Here goes!” he said. “I got this.”

“Squash that bug boy! We’ll be watching," Joey replied.

Yugi walked to the blue end of the arena. There was a small ground-level panel with a safety bar on the back that had folded out from the main body of the platform and as he stepped onto it with both feet, it lifted up to connect with the dueling screen. He realized after a moment that he'd never answered Yami’s question. He took off his backpack and set it in front of him to where it wouldn't fall. _Yes, this is like the one at KaibaCorp. I guess it’s the newest dueling tech._

_An unusual thing. How is it that we can feel the shockwaves of an attack if the monsters have no physical presence?_

_I’m not sure. I don’t know the mechanics behind it, sorry._

Yami made a thoughtful sound. _It’s not important. Are you ready to begin?_

_Yeah, I'm ready._

“Well, Yugi, I think you’ve made a mistake starting with me. You only have one star chip to bet on this duel!” Weevil taunted.

Yugi was about to respond when he felt a nudge from Yami. _Make him bet both, all or nothing,_ he counseled.

 _Why would he bet both when he doesn’t have to? That doesn’t seem fair,_ Yugi said. _  
_

 _Fair? After what he did to your cards? When we win, he’ll be done,_ Yami said with an unexpected fierceness. _Bet your deck as well to even it out._

Something about Yami's unyielding confidence was giving Yugi a boldness he had never felt before. He raised his voice to call back to Weevil. “If you’ll bet both your star chips, I’ll bet my deck along with my only star chip. Now let’s go! It’s time to duel.” He heard a gasp that he was pretty sure came from Téa down on the ground below.

“A foolish challenge, but I accept. I’ll start by playing Killer Needle," Weevil replied. A massive wasp-like insect appeared on the field, flashing its stinger. 

“I play Mammoth Graveyard! Attack!” Yugi watched his monster charge at Killer Needle. There was a flash of movement and light, and when it cleared, Mammoth Graveyard was gone – destroyed. Yugi stared at where his monster had been. “That should have been a stalemate! What happened?”

 _I suspect it has something to do with the terrain we’re in and the layout of the island itself. Look at the grid,_ Yami said. Yugi did so as Weevil began to explain.

“Figured it out yet? There’s a reason I led you here. Our playing field is one part wasteland, one part forest. And what’s in forests? Bugs! So I get a field power bonus for all the insect cards I play here. You would know all of this if you had stolen the rules for the tournament like I did!” he laughed.

“The first duel here and we’re already running into cheaters. Great," Joey groaned.

“You’re just jealous you didn’t think to steal the rules, too,” Weevil snapped at him.

“Well I guess I got lucky, then!” Yugi said, smiling as he realized what was about to happen. Weevil turned back to the grid just in time to see his Killer Needle shatter as it was destroyed.

“What?! My insect!” Weevil whined.

“Turns out my Mammoth got a field power bonus from the wasteland, and now I know that we’re on this island because it has every home field advantage environment that any given monster might need,” Yugi said. He had picked up on what Yami had mentioned about the terrain. The field power bonuses would have been helpful to know from the start, but there was nothing could be done about it now. It was too late to change his deck.

“Learning one of the rules won’t be enough,” Weevil replied. “I summon Hercules Beetle in attack mode.”

Yugi set down his next card. “I call on Feral Imp, and I’ll add Horn of Unicorn to raise its attack strength.” The green monster appeared on the field, baring its teeth. Weevil wasted no time calling his attack, and Yugi called for magic lightning to counter. But again, his monster was destroyed – and his frustration was growing.

 _We seem to be at a disadvantage,_ Yami said, _but no matter. Keep going._

Weevil was grinning. “Oh, didn’t you know that monsters with a field power bonus are resistant to magic attacks? Too bad.”

Yugi watched his life point counter tick down to 1350. “I’ll play one card in defense mode,” he said, trying to think through what to do next while Weevil summoned Basic Insect with Level 3 Laser Cannon and Level 2 Power Boost, rambling about the trap card he was also playing and how Yugi would pay for all the bugs he had ever killed. Yugi wasn’t paying him any mind and he could feel the same amusement from Yami that he had felt this morning. It was clear who Yami considered to be the bug that needed squashing in this scenario.

They continued with a back and forth of Weevil summoning monsters and Yugi making his own moves as discreetly as he could. He had an idea but he didn't want Weevil to catch on. Yami was paying rapt attention, his advice often something Yugi hadn't considered yet. He was glad that Yami didn’t see him as any kind of opponent – it felt more like they were a team. Yugi was quickly learning how to balance his attention between the mental conversation he was having with Yami and what was happening in front of him in real life.

Téa was watching Yugi curiously. “I’ve never seen him this confident,” she said to the boys quietly. A small crowd had gathered to watch and she didn’t want them thinking Yugi wasn’t like this all the time.

“It’s like he’s a whole new duelist,” Joey agreed.

Weevil was down to his last monster to add to the field. Yugi was counting on it for his strategy to work. It was his turn again. He looked over his card grid once more, eyeing the facedown card he knew to be a trap. If this worked, he would walk Weevil right into it. He drew a card. The Dark Magician. “I play this,” he called, watching as his favorite monster materialized onto the field.

“Your magician won’t save you now!” Weevil replied. “Laser Cannon, fire!”

Just the words Yugi wanted to hear. He felt a flare of satisfaction from Yami. “You’re not the only one who can set a trap! You’ve activated my Mirror Force card!”

Weevil’s eyes widened in panic and he called to stop his attack, but it was too late – the shot from the cannon was reflected back at him, destroying his monsters left and right. His life points sank down to 555; Yugi could hear his friends cheering from the sidelines.

“You’re a liar and a cheat, Weevil! As far as I'm concerned, you should lose just on principle.”

But Weevil seemed to have overcome his disappointment and laughed once again. “If you were so sure of me being a liar than you should have known I was bluffing about my strategy! My strongest monster is waiting in the wings and you will be powerless to stop it!”

Yugi’s grip tightened on his cards. _I can’t believe him!_

 _It’s all right,_ Yami said. _We’ll see who’s powerless in the end._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I never liked how little dueling Yugi himself actually does, so I'm changin' that up.


	5. The Ultimate Great Moth

The grid was still clearing from the destruction of all of Weevil’s monsters, but it wasn’t much consolation now that Yugi knew that Weevil had one more up his sleeve. He wondered what Weevil could possibly have that would be so much stronger than the rest.

“Good goin’, man!” Joey called from the sidelines.

“That oughta make things easier,” Tristan said.

“You losers are getting all excited for nothing. Weevil is a regional champion; it’ll take more that than for Yugi to beat him,” came a voice from behind. They turned around and saw that Mai Valentine had joined the small group of spectators and was watching intently. Téa flared at the slight to Yugi.

“Nobody asked you!” she snapped at the older girl. “Take a hike.” Mai laughed at that.

“And miss out on seeing this? I don’t think so!”

“Weevil did come from behind to win the regionals,” Joey mused, not as eager to pick a fight with Mai as Téa was. Téa whipped around to look at him.

“Whose side are you on?!”

“I’m just saying Mai has a point that Weevil has more experience. This is Yugi’s first _official_ duel, after all.”

Tristan was watching this exchange from where he stood next to Joey. He side-eyed his friend and leaned in close to whisper, “And are we agreeing with Miss Valentine just to be polite, or . . .?”

Joey elbowed him hard. “Shut up, dude! She’s right there.”

Above them on his platform, Weevil was considering his next move. “I’ll get you for that, Yugi, and I’ll wipe that grin off your face while I’m at it. I guess in the meantime I’ll have to play this poor little bug in defense mode.” He set a card down sideways on the screen.

“That might have been a good bluff if I had forgotten you still have a trap card on the field,” Yugi said. He couldn’t attack directly without triggering it. _Maybe if I get all my monsters off the field first, I can trip the trap without destroying any of them._ He paused to see if Yami had a better strategy, and when nothing was forthcoming, he pulled his next card from his hand. “I play Monster Recovery – monsters, return to your cards!”

Lights flashed as the monsters beamed back to his deck. Monster Recovery allowed him to discard his current hand and draw a new one. He tried to think ahead while he reshuffled his deck.

 _If you draw a weaker monster in your new hand, use it to force his trap card into play. It might save you a few life points in the end,_ Yami said.

Yugi pulled five new cards and there it was – Kuriboh. Perfect. “My move,” he called. “I summon Kuriboh, and I’ll sacrifice him to finish off your trap! Kuriboh, attack!”

The tiny monster launched himself at Weevil’s side of the field. Yugi watched his life points hit 1050 as Kuriboh was destroyed. He looked over at Weevil. “Maybe next time keep your plans to yourself!”

But Weevil was snickering. “You thought I gave away my strategy? You fell right for it! I tricked you into recalling all your monsters from the field so you wouldn’t be able to attack this!” A small larva appeared, green and wriggling.

 _Are we supposed to be intimidated?_ Yami asked.

“Just watch, Yugi – I play Cocoon of Evolution! You’ll hate to see what comes next.”

What came next was a thick ooze that seemed to consume the larva until it could no longer be seen. Thick ropes of web surrounded it as if to tether it to the playing field. Weevil seemed unbothered by the fact that his monster was apparently no longer in play. “With the larva now safely inside,” he explained, “it will spend the next five turns transforming in the Great Moth!”

“Not if I destroy it before it has the chance to emerge,” Yugi countered.

“You’re welcome to try. I should also let you know that it gets a field power bonus, increasing its defense points.”

Yugi frowned. _Five turns. I better act fast. Is there something I can use to break it open? Do I even have a monster strong enough?_

 _There’s only one way to find out,_ Yami replied.

Yugi set Gaia the Fierce Knight onto the screen, and with a little hesitation, he called his attack. His life points wouldn’t hold out much longer if Weevil was able to get the better of him. He watched as Gaia sprang forward in a charge but to no avail – the cocoon was too strong. Yugi’s life points dipped to 750.

“It’s too strong with the addition of the field bonus,” he heard Joey say. A burst of excitement from Yami seemed to explode in Yugi’s head.

 _Your friend is right. Perhaps a direct attack is the wrong way to start. We need to be more creative here – what if you attacked the forest surrounding the cocoon?_ the spirit suggested.

Yugi hadn’t thought of that. _Worth a try!_

“You got this, Yugi!” Téa called, which prompted laughter from Mai.

“Your stupid cheerleading isn’t going to get him anywhere. Just give it up.”

“Why don’t you –“ Téa started, but Joey cut her off.

“Don’t listen to her, Tee, she’s trying to get you wound up,” he said in an effort to placate. He appreciated how Téa was always quick to defend any of them, but he had a hard time getting her to ignore people who argued just to argue.

“No one beats the Great Moth,” Mai continued. “I haven’t seen it fail Weevil yet.”

Yugi was wracking his brain for an idea on how to destroy the forest out from under the cocoon, but he couldn’t be rash in his haste. He set Beaver Warrior down in defense mode to protect his life points. Weevil shook his head. “Defense won’t save you now! Tick tock, you only have four more turns before the Moth is unleashed.”

“C’mon, man! Get fired up!” Joey’s words carried up to him.

_Wait a minute . . . fire._

Mai turned to Joey. “Do you guys plan these cheers ahead of time? You’re only distracting him.”

“Jealous because you don’t have any friends who want to cheer YOU on?” Téa couldn’t help sniping back.

Mai gave her a look. “Friends don’t help me win.”

Yugi was ready. He set his monster onto the card screen. “Go, Curse of Dragon! Attack with dragon flame!”

Weevil looked confused. “You can’t hurt my cocoon with something that weak!”

“I wasn’t aiming for your cocoon. I combined my Dragon with the magic card Burning Land, and its target was the forest! Say goodbye to your field power bonus.”

The trees around the cocoon were going up in flames. After a few moments there was nothing but black ash where the forest once stood. The cocoon seemed to deflate a little as it lost the advantage given by the environment around it. Yugi wasn’t done there. He called for Gaia to attack once more, and when his monster returned to him, there was a hole in the cocoon where it had been pierced. Weevil looked unperturbed as a noise began to emit from the cocoon – a loud call that rang through the clearing they were in. Everyone waited.

Joey shifted in place where he stood. “It must have evolved enough to survive.”

“I’m surprised you were able to pierce it,” Weevil said. “But it wasn’t enough to bring it down.”

“I thought you said it took five turns?” Yugi asked. _Every time I get a little ahead, he catches back up._

“You stopped it one turn early. It’s strong enough to withstand your knight! Are you ready to lose?”

Yugi gritted his teeth. “This isn’t over yet!” He watched as the enormous green Moth lifted its huge form into the air, shattering the cocoon that had held it. Its yellow horns shone in the sun.

 _We’ll settle this in the skies,_ Yami said with a tone of finality.

Everyone watched as Weevil called hurricane attack. The wind whipped around them as the Great Moth launched itself at Beaver Warrior, who was defeated easily. In a quick stroke of retaliation, Yugi played Polymerization and fused Gaia with Curse of Dragon. The combined monster rose into the air to face the Moth, equal in attack strength. But just as it leveled out, its points began to drop. There was something swirling in the air around it that seemed to be emanating from the Great Moth, but it hadn’t attacked again.

“You’ll have noticed by now that your monster is weakening thanks to the poison particles released when hurricane attack is used,” Weevil said, all too ready to brag. “Your move!”

Yugi drew a card – and smiled. “I play Makiu, the Magical Mist! That’ll take care of your poison rain.” The mist spread quickly, wetting the entire field. Gaia regained its strength, but Yugi wasn’t sure it was enough.

Weevil was pouting. “No fair! I was about to win! We’ll see if you have any more tricks to play after _this_. Great Moth, attack with tornado of doom!”

The Moth flapped its wings and the air stirred as a massive tornado formed. It struck Gaia and Curse of Dragon head on; Yugi covered his eyes to shield against the flash of light as his monster was destroyed.

His life points were down to 50. For the first time since the duel began, he truly faltered. _If I lose this . . . I lose Grandpa._

A flood of feeling crashed over him like an ocean wave. _Don’t despair, Yugi. You have your friends. You have me. And we’re not through yet._

“Yugi’s crazy if he thinks he can win at this rate,” Mai said, knowing it would get Téa heated again but also not caring. Téa opened her mouth to call out something to Yugi but Mai saw it coming. “Would you give it a rest and shut up already?”

“No I will not, you selfish, _pompous_ , bleach blonde, know-it-all _windbag_!” Téa spat. Joey predicted Téa’s trajectory as she took a step forward, and quickly slinging an arm around her waist, he lifted her easily and set her down on his opposite side away from Mai. She continued her blue streak, barely even noticing that her feet had briefly left the ground.

“Just ignore her, Téa, Yugi will be fine.” He leaned in closer to her and Tristan. “Too bad we can’t trade Mai in for life points, huh?”

That got a snort out of Téa.

“You guys just distract him,” Mai said, like she hadn’t already made her point. “Weevil keeps his head in the game.”

“Oh, does he?” Tristan drawled. “Then why does he look like he didn’t see whatever Yugi is grinning about coming?”

They looked up. “He’s not just smiling . . . I think he’s laughing,” Téa said in surprise.

Weevil looked irritated. “What’s so funny? Cut it out!”

Yugi was indeed laughing to himself. He shook his head at Weevil. “I know it’ll be hard for you to accept losing after all the time you spent bending the rules and cheating, but that was never going to help you win. You expect everyone else to play dirty like you do. Well, here’s what’s up – I have a little something called honor and self-respect, and that’s what makes the difference.”

“This is a trick! You’re trying to psych me out – you have nothing left to play!”

“That’s where you’re wrong.” Yugi drew his final monster card from his hand. “Here is the mighty Summoned Skull!”

A dark cloud formed over the field, a black hole in the center of it. The air stirred like it had when the Great Moth struck, but this time it was Weevil who had reason to fear. Summoned Skull looked as tall as a skyscraper standing on the field. It turned its glowing green eyes onto its opponent, waiting for Yugi’s direction.

“This won’t work,” Weevil growled, looking nervous all the same.

“You overlooked Magical Mist. Everything on the field is wet, and do you know what Summoned Skull attacks with?” Yugi paused to let that sink in. “With all this water on the field, its electrical attack is boosted by 1000. I hope you like fireworks! Now, Summoned Skull – lightning strike!”

Yugi’s monster seemed to be absorbing the electricity that surged throughout the field. It spread its arms wide, and a massive bolt of lightning struck from above. The Great Moth crackled and shook, and with a final cry, it fell through the air in a burst of light and smoke. Weevil’s life points hit zero.

Yugi stared over the field at his opponent. “It’s over.”

_Well done, Yugi._

There was a burst of applause from the sidelines. Téa couldn’t help but enjoy the dumbstruck look on Mai’s face. She left Mai behind to follow Tristan and Joey to the platform ladder. Yugi grabbed his backpack and climbed down to meet them. Joey swept the smaller teen off his feet. “Way to go, Yoog! He got what was coming to him!”

Yugi laughed as Joey set him down. “Thanks. Time to get his star chips.”

Weevil had sulkily made his way around to the side of the arena. He held out his star chips to Yugi. “I can’t believe I lost to a nobody,” he grumbled as Yugi claimed his prize.

“True winners play fair,” Yugi said, closing his fingers over the coveted pieces.

“Don’t waste your breath, he learned his lesson,” Joey said, but Weevil was already skulking off in the direction of the ship.

Yugi smiled, listening to Téa and Tristan rehash the last few moves of the duel while Joey dug through Téa’s bag for something to eat. It was good to have his friends here.

* * *

They found one of the cabins that provided food and somewhere to sleep nearby, and after stocking up on snacks they parked themselves at a picnic bench in the shade. Yugi carefully inserted his two new star chips into place, admiring how they caught the sunlight. Noticing that his friends weren’t paying him too much direct attention at the moment, he took the opportunity to dip into his mind to talk to Yami, who hadn’t spoken since the end of the duel. His presence had faded the way it did when he was more fully retreated into the Puzzle.

Yugi sat quietly for a moment, unsure of how to say thank you to the spirit who had helped him win. He wasn’t sure why Yami stayed so quiet when they weren’t dueling. He certainly wasn’t shy. That power that ran through him was always palpable – Yugi still wasn’t sure what it meant.

Yugi reached out and lightly touched his consciousness to Yami’s. A quiet brush in reply told him that Yami was listening.

 _Thank you for helping me today. You certainly didn’t have to._ Yugi looked down at his glove. _I now have three chips. I need seven more, and from there it’s on to the castle where they’re holding my grandpa prisoner, and then I’ll battle Pegasus once and for all._


	6. The First Duel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joey jumps into the competition.

The sun was bright in the window behind Pegasus as he sat alone at the long table. He hadn’t made another appearance since the tournament announcements and he planned to keep it that way. The winners would all come to him in the end.

 _All the unwitting pawns are in place and the games have begun,_ he mused to himself. _The process of elimination is underway. Only the strong will make it to the castle, and then the real fun will be had._

* * *

The woods opened up to a clearing at the edge of a cliffside. The breeze was cool, the sun bright. The second day of the tournament was upon them. After a good night’s sleep and another odd dream about wandering a desert, Yugi was ready to get started, but even his enthusiasm couldn’t match Joey’s. Joey was several feet ahead of the rest of them, his head on a swivel. “Bring on the competition!” he called. “I’m ready to duel the next person I see!”

“I don’t know if he’s up to this,” Téa said in a voice meant only for Tristan and Yugi. “I know he’s worked hard to catch up but lot of these people have way more experience.”

“Maybe he can’t beat the tournament level players but there’s gotta be duelists who are more amateur,” Tristan replied. Joey had reached the edge of the cliff and was pronouncing himself the next Duel Monsters champion to an audience of no one.

Téa sighed. “He needs a reality check.”

Joey had paused from his showboating to take in the view from the cliffside. He was ready, but he didn’t want to admit to the others that he was nervous. There was so much riding on all of this. Looking out at the water reminded him of a day long past when he had taken Serenity to the beach after school. He had been maybe a little too young to ride the bus with her unaccompanied, but it hadn’t stopped him. Their parents did nothing but fight when around each other so he took every opportunity to get himself out of the house. He knew when the inevitable split happened that his sister would go with Mom and he would stay behind with Dad. There was only so much time they had left to spend together.

The beach had been beautiful that day. Serenity’s red hair had shone in the sun as she splashed through the water. They had built sandcastles and hunted for shells, chased the seagulls and made fast but brief friends with the other kids playing nearby. When it was getting close to having to leave, Joey had kicked off his shoes and stretched out on the sand. The sky had been flooded with orange and pink.

“This was fun, huh? We gotta come back here sometime,” he had said.

Serenity had plopped down beside him, tired but happy. “How? I’m prolly gonna have to leave soon.”

“Even if Mom and Dad get divorced, it doesn’t mean we won’t see each other. We’ll be able to come back.” He had tried to remain a little hopeful for her sake. She probably saw through it anyway.

“Pinky promise?” she had asked, stretching out her smallest finger to him. He had taken it, and that’s what he remembered now.

 _I’m gonna win, and then I’ll come back and show you the ocean again,_ he determined. His reverie was interrupted by his friends appearing at his side. Tristan sat down in the grass.

“I think you found the best view, Joe,” he said, lightly smacking his friend’s leg. Joey reached down to ruffle Tristan’s hair.

“I think so, too.”

They were all quiet for a moment, each lost in their own thoughts. The heat of the day reminded Yugi of his dream. If he closed his eyes he could picture the desert that came to him night after night. He wished he knew what it meant.

“Well, how did we miss _that_?” Téa suddenly said. The boys’ heads all turned in her direction. She was pointing sort of behind them to where the ground sloped down the hill.

Dueling stadiums peppered the landscape; there were people wandering everywhere either in search of a duel to watch or a duel to play. Lights flashed as cards were destroyed. Various monster cries rang across the arenas. The mountains were tall in the distance, casting their shadows on the plentiful trees below. No one spoke for a moment as they took it all in.

“Looks like we’ll find you some competition, Joey,” Yugi said. He shifted the weight of his backpack, trying not to think about the seven star chips he still had to win. It felt like a lot.

Joey helped Tristan up and the four of them headed to move down the hill. Joey was having a hard time keeping his nerves under control. “I’m goin’ in!”

Tristan made a noise. “Please don’t forget you only have one chip to bet.”

“Don’t panic, though; not everyone here’s a pro,” Yugi offered.

“We’ll find you an easy one,” Téa joined in.

Joey was only half listening, shuffling through his deck. “What kind of field power bonus would do me the most good here . . . I think the meadow is my best bet.”

A loud voice rang out from nearby. “You lost, crybaby, now give me your star chips!”

Téa narrowed her eyes. “A voice that annoying can only belong to Mai. She must be close.”

A flash of purple through the trees revealed itself to be Mai triumphantly accepting the star chips that were now hers. Her opponent sulked. “You cheated! There’s no way you could have beat me that easily!”

Mai laughed. “No cheating necessary. I’m an expert at this and you’re done!” She looked up at the sound of the newcomers. “Well, look who’s here!”

“She must be winning like crazy,” Joey murmured now that he could see the stars glinting from her glove.

“Hey, Yugi, are your duels going well?” Mai asked as she came over to them.

“Uh, I guess,” Yugi replied. He wasn’t sure if winning only one duel qualified as doing well.

“Oh, don’t be modest, I’m sure you’re killing it. I just finished here but I think I’m up for another one!” Her sharp eyes scanned her potential opponents.

Téa leaned in close behind to whisper to Yugi while Mai made a show of examining her glove. “Beat her, Yugi! Knock her out of the contest and off the island.” Yugi hesitated to respond but Mai beat him to it.

“You know what, I’m definitely up for another round, and I choose to challenge you, Joey!” She pointed a finely manicured finger at him.

Joey blanched. “Uh . . . me?”

“If you’ve got the guts for it.”

“Well –“

“I heard you and Yugi on the ship, about how you each only had one chip to start with. You must be the weakest duelist here!”

“Don’t do it, Joey, she’s ruthless,” Téa growled. She couldn’t quite figure out what it was about Mai that got under her skin so easily. She nudged Yugi from behind. “Why would you want Joey when Yugi is right here? He’s the one who beat Kaiba, after all.”

Yugi made a face at that. He looked at Mai for a second and then at Joey. Yami’s curiosity had perked at this new development, but Yugi had made up his mind. “It’s Joey’s decision,” he said firmly.

“I accept!” Joey said, his voice a little too loud. _Don’t let her see you’ve got the jitters!_ “It’s cool, Téa. This is where I’ll come out swingin’, you’ll see. Yugi’s grandpa taught me a lot, although . . . I probably coulda practiced more. Maybe paid a bit more attention and fallen asleep a little less . . .”

“Well, it’s too late for that, and we’ll be sure not to mention these shortcomings to Serenity should you get your ass kicked,” Tristan said with some exasperation. “Now get going!”

Mai was already up on the red platform. She shuffled her deck, watching Joey approach. “Get ready to lose,” she called. “I’ll only be betting one chip, which will hardly set me back should you manage to pull off a miracle.” But Joey was only half listening as he looked down at the field terrain with some dismay.

“What’s all this? I thought we were in the meadow!”

“We are, to some degree. The field is 40% forest, 40% mountain, and 20% meadow,” Mai explained. “Deal with it.”

Joey set down his deck, mollified. The 20% meadow wasn’t much but it was enough to assure him the field power bonus he needed. “I got a question for you before we start, Mai. Why do you duel?” Kind of a broad question, but he’d been curious why she was here since he’d seen her on the ship.

“Why do I duel? For all the comforts that come with it, of course! Designer clothes, travel, perks, anything to avoid real work, hot cars, and livin’ large! It’s just a game and I just so happen to be good at it!” she gushed.

“That’s . . . maybe a little selfish, don’t you think?”

Her smile vanished. “You think I’m selfish for enjoying life, you pathetic little snot? I don’t depend on anyone and I don’t have anyone who depends on me. Who are you to judge?! You’re not even out of high school. Get back to me when you’ve had a few years as a real adult. Now, are you going to start this duel or what?”

Joey felt his face flush slightly at her reprimand. “Yeah, I’m goin’. I summon Masaki the Legendary Swordsman.”

Mai brushed her long blonde hair back over her shoulder. “Well, you’re off to a weak start. I play Harpie Lady, and she gets a power bonus from the mountain range!”

Joey got his first good look at the monster type Mai was famous for. A tall humanoid woman appeared on the field. Her large blue wings extended wide down the length of her arms. Bright green eyes and pointed ears were framed by long red hair, her skin a light shade of blue. In place of normal hands and feet she had long yellow appendages that reminded him of bird feet, with a wickedly sharp talon at the end of each. She wore what seemed like some kind of yoga clothes – a leotard the color of her wings that extended thin straps down her legs to what turned into something like legwarmers, the solid blue interrupted by purple on her thighs, giving her the appearance that she was wearing something underneath. The Harpie Lady let out something between a scream and a cry like a bird of prey as she hovered in the air.

“Let’s see how she holds up!” Joey wasn’t about to waste any more time. His nerves were all over the place. He had to win this fast before Mai could summon up a real strategy. “Masaki, attack!”

His monster lunged at Harpie Lady. Behind him he heard a sound of protest from Yugi but it was too late now. They all watched as Harpie Lady swiped a large, taloned hand at Masaki, who was promptly destroyed. Joey’s life points went down to 1410.

“Land monsters have a disadvantage against flying monsters. Fliers are magically resistant against monsters that can only walk on the ground,” Yugi explained to the others. “He attacked too soon.”

“Think first, Joey!” Téa shouted up at him.

Tristan snorted a laugh at that. “Real helpful, Tee, reminding him he has a brain.”

Joey was straining to pretend he hadn’t overheard their conversation. Yugi probably wouldn’t give him advice outright, but there weren’t any rules about eavesdropping. He set down his next card. Maybe Mai did have the advantage here but that didn’t guarantee her the win. He just had to keep moving quickly.

Mai made short work of his Tiger Axe, and he was forced into playing a facedown card to protect his life points. His heart sank a little at her next move – Cyber Shield, to give Harpie Lady another boost. A moment later and his facedown card was no more.

“This is so FUN! Aren’t you having fun?” Mai teased.

“It’s okay, Joey! Just . . . think for a second before you make a move, there’s no rush!” Yugi was trying to be encouraging. Joey wasn’t known for his patience.

Mai rolled her eyes. “Stay out of this, your cheerleading won’t help him. Friendship doesn’t win duels – you know it, he knows it. It takes skill and focus, two things your friend here seems to be sorely lacking.”

“That’s not true!” Téa argued.

“No?” Mai cocked her head. “I beg to differ. There can only be one champion. On this island, in this game, someone can be your best friend today and your biggest enemy tomorrow. And if Joey and Yugi both end up in the finals, odds are they’ll have to duel each other, and where’s your friendship then? The only person you can trust is yourself. I hope this defeat teaches you that lesson.”

“Don’t listen to that. We’re here to help!” Yugi said, even though _some_ of Mai’s words rang true. He hadn’t considered a situation where he and Joey might have to face each other, and going off the look on Joey’s face, he hadn’t, either.

Joey was looking down at his lone star chip. Memories of Yugi with him on the rooftop and Serenity on the beach ran through his mind – he didn’t want to let either of them down. _I gotta concentrate. She’s good and I know it, and it’s making me doubt._ He took a deep breath.

“Let’s go!” Mai waved a hand impatiently.

“You got it,” Joey said with a new sense of determination. “I play Baby Dragon! Come on down!” With a few squeaks, the little orange dragon materialized.

Mai blinked. “That wimpy card is your grand play?! I only wish it was worth more so when I destroy it it does more damage to your life points! My card will be Elegant Egotist. Its magic will make duplicates of my Harpie Lady.” Her original harpie gave off a bright shimmer that dimmed to reveal two ladies beside her – one with tall spiky blue hair and the other with orange hair cut short.

Téa frowned. “Now what’s he gonna do? He was struggling with just one of those things!”

“He’s got some moves left,” Tristan offered vaguely.

“Like what?”

“Well. I don’t know! Ask an expert. Ask Yugi.”

Yugi glanced over at that. “I think I know what he’s up to with Baby Dragon. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

Joey was deep in thought. _She keeps playing the same kind of monster mixed with magic cards. If I can just draw the Time Wizard, I should be able to take them all out in one go._

“Well? Too impressed to take your turn?” Mai’s voice brought Joey back to the moment.

“Oh, I’m taking my turn, don’t you worry,” he replied. He set his hand on the top of his deck to draw, and paused. This was it. Whatever this card was would determine the rest of the duel. He picked it up.

And smiled.

“Say hello to my Time Wizard! Hope you like time travel, Mai, ‘cause we’re about to pick up speed.” Joey set the card into play and everyone watched as the cloaked clock that appeared raised one arm to wave its staff. Bright beams of light shone across the field, touching every monster in play. The light faded to reveal an enormous brown dragon, old and wizened, where Baby Dragon had been only moments before. It gave a low snort.

“So now you have a bigger dragon. Big deal! My ladies will still crush him like they would’ve crushed the tiny version. Harpie Ladies, att – wait, what’s going on?!” Mai gave a gasp as she looked at her monsters. The effects of Time Wizard had not left them unscathed. All three harpies were now old and wrinkled, sunk to the ground in their weakened state.

“Weren’t you paying attention? A thousand years passed on the playing field, which leaves _me_ with one very strong dragon and _you_ with an army of grandmas. Now, Thousand Dragon, attack with inferno flame breath!”

The dragon leapt off the ground, taking flight high above the field. He unleashed a massive gust of flame. Mai’s monsters were no more. She watched in shock as her life points hit zero. Tristan let out a whoop of excitement. Game over.

“Not bad, eh?” Joey was beaming as he stepped off the lift to join his friends. “I owe you one for that Time Wizard, Yugi.” The congratulations were interrupted by Mai, who held out the star chip she owed. She dropped it into Joey’s hand with a smirk.

“You won this round, amateur though you are,” she said. “I’ll see you boys at the finals.” And with that she was gone. Joey watched her walk toward the path leading further through the woods, rolling the star chip between his fingers.

“See ya, Mai,” he murmured.

Tristan thumped him on the back. “Okay, so maybe I doubted you more than I let on,” he confessed. “Way to prove me wrong.”

“Good job, Joey,” Yugi said proudly. “If you keep that up, we’ll be at the castle in no time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I doubt that Mai's perfume strategy would ever work so well, so it's gone now.


	7. Attack From the Deep

“What is the meaning of this! Have you come to steal my fish, you bottom-feeders?!” came a voice – and a harpoon – from behind. Yugi and his friends all turned in alarm as a young man approached them. He was eyeing them with distrust, his long hair damp and tied back with a leather cord.

“Oh, is this your campfire?” Yugi asked, stepping away from where the harpoon had bounced off the rock next to him. “We didn’t steal anything! We were just taking a minute to sit in the sun. I promise we didn’t touch the fish.”

He looked at the fire for a moment and then back to them. “I see there are still three fish, just the way I left them. I suppose you are not thieves after all. Ah, but I see some of you are duelists! I have not encountered much competition this far out on the island. I am Mako Tsunami!” he said, offering a hand to Yugi.

“Nice to meet you! I’m Yugi Moto, and this is Téa, Tristan, and Joey,” he replied, gesturing to each.

“Yugi, eh? I heard you were the duelist who beat Seto Kaiba! You must be truly talented to have done so,” Mako said. He had a look on his face Yugi wasn’t sure what to make of. “And now you are here to defeat Pegasus and claim the title for good!”

“Well . . . there’s a little more to it than that,” Yugi said, not sure how to explain. But Mako didn’t seem interested in his motive – he talked on.

“I am here to win the prize money and buy myself a ship! I have always loved the sea. I would have inherited my father’s vessel, except that it was severely damaged in a storm. My father was a great fisherman, and I would have followed in his footsteps . . . but that same storm took him from me. We were thrown about by the fierce waves, and when the skies finally cleared, the boat had washed ashore and my father was gone. Everyone told me he was gone for good, but I found that one of the lifeboats was also missing! I believe my father is out there somewhere, and I will sail the seven seas to find him!” Mako told them around mouthfuls of fish. The group sat politely, not sure what to do with this information.

“What a freaky fish guy,” Joey muttered to Téa, who nudged him hard.

“Be nice!” she said under her breath. Mako seemed to be inhaling the last fish, and he was eyeing Yugi closely.

He stood, wiping his hands on his shorts. “Well, since you’re here anyway, how about a duel, Yugi Moto? A duel against you would be a true test, and I still have a few star chips to win!”

Yugi glanced down at his own dueling glove. The empty star chip slots were just a reminder of how far he still had to go. Yami gave him a mental nudge of encouragement. _He doesn’t seem such a threat. Shall we?_

 _I guess there’s only one way to keep going,_ Yugi said. He looked up at Mako. “You’re on!”

* * *

“I add Horn of the Unicorn to my Feral Imp. Magic lightning attack!” Yugi wasn’t sure what else to do. All of Mako’s monsters were hidden under the water on his side of the field. But his attack fizzled out and nothing happened.

Mako laughed. “Your mistake! My Giant Jellyfish absorbs all electrical attacks. As someone who plays with water-based monsters, I figured out a way around electricity a long time ago! Now, Fiend Kraken, crush his Feral Imp!” Large yellow tentacles rose up out of the water, wrapping themselves around Feral Imp and crushing it easily.

Yugi’s Imp was gone. _This is getting on my nerves. I can’t even see his monsters._

_We’ve figured out worse, and there’s still time to devise a strategy._

“I play Silver Fang and I’ll add the Full Moon to strengthen him,” Yugi said. His wolf gave a mournful howl to the moon that appeared above.

“Ah, but you seem to have forgotten that the moon controls the tide,” Mako said, “which is perfect for my next move. Watch as the tide goes out! I call forth Kairyu-Shin – tidal wave attack!” A massive blue sea serpent, red fangs bared, rose up out of the water and let loose an echoing roar. The waves got higher and higher and crashed down over Silver Fang, who was swept away. When the water settled, Yugi realized with dismay that there was only a small patch of land where it had once covered his entire half of the field. He was once again without a monster.

“You should feel lucky my pet left you with that patch of dirt,” Mako smirked.

“I’ll play Giant Soldier of Stone in defense mode and end my turn,” Yugi said, ignoring the jibe.

“You barely have enough rock for him to fit! Now that I have all this water, I’ll add Great White Terror to my lineup of sea creatures! It’s over for you.” A large fin was briefly visible before it vanished under the waves.

 _We only have the Full Moon left on the field,_ Yami said.

 _Unfortunately, yeah. Wait. What was it Mako said about the moon? It controls the . . . tide,_ Yugi said, a plan forming quickly. _This just might work._

“I’m not finished yet. Here goes! I put my Soldier into attack mode and his target is my own card – the Full Moon!” The Giant Soldier swung his sword up, striking the moon full on. It crumbled apart on impart and the water began to churn once more.

“No! My monsters!” Mako cried in dismay as the water receded completely, the tide going out, exposing all the creatures that had been hidden in the depths.

“I play Curse of Dragon, and I combine it with the Burning Land spell card to wipe out your life points! Burning land attack!” The yellow dragon let out a piercing cry and swooped over the field. Flames covered the ground, and one by one Mako’s monsters were destroyed.

* * *

“That was a brilliant move destroying the moon,” Mako said as he gave Yugi the two star chips he owed.

“Thanks! You’re pretty good at this, too,” Yugi said. He closed a protective hand over his newly won star chips.

Mako laughed cheerfully. “I’m down to one star chip, but I will start over! This tournament hasn’t seen the last of me.” And with that he waved them farewell as they headed back to the woods they way they had come. The ocean glittered in the sun behind them, the waves lapping gently against the rocks below the cliffside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you imagine if your opponents were always stopping in the middle of a game to monologue? They're all way too tolerant of it.


	8. Everything's Relative

Seto Kaiba stood in one of his remote labs and eyed his handiwork. He had trashed the place to make it look like he had been attacked and there was only one thing left to do. He picked up the desk chair and threw it hard against the large window overlooking the churning water below. It took a few tries, but with one final heave it smashed through the glass. He watched it fall, breaking on the rocks below. With any luck this would help slow whoever came looking. He knew Pegasus was onto him. It was only a matter of time before those goons Pegasus called his security showed up. Picking up the briefcase that held his new holo-generators and his deck, he walked out the door and left it open behind him.

It was time to head for Duelist Kingdom.

* * *

Yugi yawned. The sun was low in the sky and they’d been walking for a few hours since the duel with Mako. Even Joey looked like he was out of steam for the day. Téa had borrowed Joey’s coat a while ago; it had cooled down considerably as they ran out of daylight. She pulled it around herself tighter against the breeze. “How do we feel about calling it a night?” she asked the boys.

“Fine by me,” Tristan said. “Where should we camp out?”

“You’re the one with the map; point us in the right direction!” Joey said.

It turned out they weren’t far from one of the cabins, and this time they had it to themselves. Joey dropped onto the nearest bed, kicking off his shoes with a yawn. He tossed his dueling glove onto the bedside table. “Don’t wake me for anything except the end of the world,” he said into his pillow.

Yugi settled himself onto the bed next to Joey’s and did much of the same, pushing his shoes under the bed and tossing his jacket aside. Tristan was already snoring lightly from his other side. Téa had posted up opposite Joey. She scrolled through her phone for a minute before setting it down quietly. “Aren’t you going to sleep?” she asked Yugi softly.

Yugi rolled over to see her better. “Yeah. Soon.”

He listened as her breathing evened out. He wanted to close his eyes and drift off like the rest but there were so many thoughts running through his head. There was nothing else to focus on. Nothing else to distract.

Well. Maybe there was one thing.

He closed his eyes, focusing inward. The door to Yami’s mind was in front of him, steel with a similar eye symbol that was on the Puzzle. Yugi stood there for a minute looking at it. He remembered the feeling that had swept through him the day he had finally solved the Puzzle – the feeling of one mind suddenly becoming two. But he still didn’t know anything more about Yami except that he was apparently good at Duel Monsters, and even that didn’t come with much of an explanation.

He knocked on the door.

It swung open to reveal . . . nothing. If there was anything in here he couldn’t see it for the dark. Yugi stepped over the threshold. The door stayed open behind him. _Hello? I don’t mean to bother you. Just stopping by to . . . I have a few questions if that’s okay._

The room suddenly illuminated. Yugi wasn’t sure what he was seeing for a second. There were steel doors everywhere and staircases running in directions that didn’t make sense. He couldn’t see a ceiling. Everything that wasn’t steel was brick, a mixture of yellows and blues and greens and reds. The spirit himself was sitting on stairs that led to the next story, watching Yugi with an unreadable look.

 _This is definitely not what I was expecting,_ Yugi joked lightly.

 _I would tell you if I knew why my inner mind is closed off, but there are things that are hidden even from me. I have no real memories aside from what’s taken place since you solved the Puzzle,_ Yami said.

 _Really? That’s awful. Do you have a name, at least?_ Yugi asked, sitting down across from him.

_I’m sure I do but I can’t remember it._

_I’ve been calling you Yami, just to myself. How about that for now?_

_Yami . . . yes, that’s all right._ The spirit smiled. It was a little strange to Yugi to be associating a face with the voice. A face that looked so much like his own.

 _So. Do you know_ anything _about yourself? Like why you’re in the Puzzle?_ Yugi asked.

 _I’m afraid my answer is much of the same. Things come to me vaguely. Sometimes I recall things I couldn’t remember until something triggers it in the moment._ _I feel as though there is some purpose for my being here that I have yet to discover. Whatever that may be, I can tell you for sure that I am bound to the Puzzle, as are you – that’s how you were able to solve it. How did you come by it in the first place?_

_Oh, my grandpa gave it to me. He went to Egypt some years ago and brought it back for me._

_Egypt? Interesting._ Yami glanced up toward the door where Yugi had entered. Following his gaze, Yugi saw what appeared to be a banner of hieroglyphs lining the wall above it. Interesting, indeed.

_Is there anything you’d like to know about . . . here? Like. The world? I get the feeling that wherever you’re from, it isn’t the 21 st century._

Yami cocked his head thoughtfully. _Could you tell me about yourself? I feel indebted to you for solving the Puzzle, but I also know you didn’t ask for this._

Yugi’s eyes widened in surprise. _It’s cool! Whatever we’re in for, I’m happy to help. As for me, there isn’t much to tell. I live with my grandpa – wait, you already knew that. I like all kinds of games, not just Duel Monsters. My birthday is June 4 th, I like hamburgers, and I’ve always been one of the shortest kids in my grade. Seeing things from your perspective when we switch is kinda weird._

 _I’m so sorry about your grandfather,_ Yami said softly. He looked down at the floor. _I had no idea what was at stake when we dueled Pegasus through that tape. If I had done better–_

 _There was nothing else you could have done,_ Yugi said, swallowing down the tightness in his throat. _I don’t blame you at all. And I’d like to be your friend._

It was Yami’s turn to look surprised. _Friend?_

_Well, you are kind of stuck with me. But if you’d rather just be my duel partner and that’s it–_

_No, I . . . I would like to be your friend, very much. I think I feel we already are. Maybe it’s just our tie to the Puzzle, but from the beginning I’ve felt like I can trust you. Like I’m_ supposed _to trust you._

Yugi touched the side of the Puzzle lightly. It felt warm under his fingers. _I feel the same. Do you think it would be okay if I told my friends about you? I think at some point they’re bound to notice, anyway._

Yami looked at him with a searching gaze that Yugi felt would make anyone else uncomfortable. _I have noticed how close you are with those three. I don’t believe their knowledge of me would put us in any danger. You are free to tell them as you like._

Yugi’s next words were caught by a yawn. Apparently he could get tired even in his own head. Yami’s eyebrows raised in amusement. _I have no need for sleep in here, but you on the other hand should get some rest._

 _It was nice to meet you officially,_ Yugi said as he got to his feet.

_You, as well._

* * *

“Which way did he go?! I’m gonna crush that punk!”

Yugi was jerked into wakefulness by Joey’s shout. There seemed to be a commotion that his fuzzy brain wasn’t entirely catching on to. Joey bolted out the door, Téa close behind, also shouting something. Yugi jumped as his shoes were dropped into his lap.

“C’mon, man, we gotta go!” Tristan urged. “I got your stuff, just put your shoes on.”

Yugi jumped out of bed, jamming on his shoes as he followed Tristan outside. Joey was in the distance tearing after someone unseen with Téa not far behind.

“What happened?” Yugi panted as they ran.

“Some kid came into the cabin and grabbed Joey’s gauntlet! He had something tied over his face, I don’t know who he was,” Tristan explained.

They came around a bend in the trees. Joey had wrested his glove away from the boy, who had sat himself on the ground with a scowl. He noticed Yugi approaching and pointed an accusing finger. “This is all your fault, anyway!” he cried in a shrill voice. “You beat Seto and then he left and now it’s all a mess!”

“All right, cool it!” Téa said sternly. “Who are you and what’s this about? What do you want with Joey’s star chips?”

The boy blinked in confusion. “I thought they were Yugi’s. They were next to him.”

“Well, they weren’t his, they were mine!” Joey shot back.

Tristan walked up behind the boy and lifted him easily to his feet, dusting off the back of his shirt. “No need to steal, little man. Just tell us what the problem is and we’ll see what we can do to help, yeah?”

The boy looked up at Tristan in surprise, having expected a harsh rebuke. He reached up and took off the handkerchief he had tied around his face. Joey recognized him first. “Wait a minute. I saw you at Kaiba Corp when Yugi was dueling. Aren’t you Kaiba’s brother?”

“Yes, I am! My name is Mokuba Kaiba. Ever since Yugi beat my brother in that duel he hasn’t been himself, and now he’s missing and Pegasus is trying to take over his company,” Mokuba said in a rush.

The four exchanged looks over his head.

“Why don’t we just calm down and talk and you can tell us more,” Téa suggested. Mokuba eyed them uneasily, Yugi in particular.

“How do I know I can trust you?” he asked.

“You don’t, but it looks like we’re the best option you have,” Téa said.

Mokuba sighed and sat back down. The others followed suit as he began to explain. “There’s more than just the prize money for winning the tournament. What people don’t know is that Pegasus will grant the winner – if there is one – anything they want that’s within his power to give. But _only_ the winner. If Seto doesn’t win he can’t get a guarantee that Pegasus will leave Kaiba Corp alone.

“I spied on a meeting that the executives had invited Pegasus to. They want to merge with Industrial Illusions and they know Seto will never go for it so they’re trying to get him out of the way, but they also know that the bylaws state that only a member of the Kaiba family can legally control Kaiba Corp. That’s why they grabbed me. I managed to get away but I know they’re still looking for me.

“I thought if I could take Yugi’s star chips and force him out of the tournament it would clear the way for Seto to duel Pegasus. Yugi's the only real competition Seto would have here, anyway.”

No one spoke for a minute as they absorbed this information. Yugi was trying to not panic at the thought that Kaiba might be showing up to challenge Pegasus. If Kaiba won that duel, his chance to save Grandpa was lost.

 _It’ll be all right, Yugi. We defeated Kaiba before. We will again if he gets in our way,_ Yami said.

_What did you do to Kaiba, anyway? At the end of that duel, I mean._

_I opened his mind and removed the dark influences that clouded his thoughts and actions. Free of that influence he is struggling. He now realizes his way wasn’t the right way and he’s searching for answers. How much of this he has confided to his brother, I don't know.  
_

Yugi was floored. _You can do that?_

_Yes._

_But now that I know what’s all at stake . . . this isn’t fair. Either way, Pegasus gets what he wants. Remember how he said he has the Millennium Eye? What if he challenges us for the Puzzle, too? And what if we lose? What’ll happen to you if we’re separated?_

_We can’t worry about the “what if.” The only thing we can do is act on what’s right in front of us._

Yugi gave a frustrated exhale. Yami was right but it didn’t quiet his fears.

“What do you mean you managed to get away?” Téa was asking Mokuba.

“I mean Pegasus kidnapped me! I was stuck in that stupid castle. He needs a Kaiba under his control in order to take over the company and – and he told me they went to get Seto, to talk to him, but the lab was torn apart. There was no sign of him. He could be anywhere.”

“Why did he take off in the first place?” Yugi asked, though he had an idea.

“He said he needed some time to himself, after he lost to you,” Mokuba mumbled. He was clearly still displeased with Yugi despite confiding in him now. “There’s a place here on the island where I know Seto will come to look for me first, and that’s where I’m headed.”

“We can come with you! Or maybe those of us who aren’t dueling,” Téa offered.

“No, you’ll only slow me down,” Mokuba said. “Pegasus is sure to be keeping an eye on everyone on the island and he’ll get suspicious if you guys suddenly split up. I’m going by myself.”

“Um. Okay, just . . . hang on a minute. Guys?” Téa stood and gestured to her friends. They walked out of earshot from Mokuba who was still sat on the ground, twisting the handkerchief in his hands.

“Well, this is a mess,” Joey said. “What now?”

“Maybe he’ll let just one of us go with him? We can’t let him go haring around the island by himself. If Pegasus finds him again that’s all he needs to strong arm Kaiba,” Tristan said.

Yugi didn’t hear whatever Joey’s reply was. A loud hum was sounding in his head as Yami vied for his attention. _I think perhaps Mokuba has made his decision._

Yugi turned back to where they had left the younger boy sitting and to his dismay saw that Yami was right. Mokuba had slipped away. And they had no idea to where.


	9. The Dueling Monkey

“Mokuba! Mokubaaa! You out here? This is no time to be playing hide and seek!” Joey called as they walked the tree line. Mokuba had slipped away so undetected that they couldn’t make out which direction he might have gone. The castle loomed above them in the near distance.

“I don’t think this is gonna get us anywhere. And maybe we shouldn’t be so loud. If Pegasus’ security is out here looking for him like we are, we might accidentally lead them right to him,” Yugi said with a sigh as the possible trail they had followed came up short once again. 

“Good point,” Téa said. Hands on hips, she scanned their surroundings. “I hate to say it, but should we get back to the dueling? We could spend all day searching but the reality is we have no idea where Kaiba might come to look for Mokuba. And maybe he’ll be fine on his own like he said.”

“There is way too much nonsense happening here. Why can’t this be just a straightforward tournament?” Joey grumbled. He sat himself down on the ground in frustration and began to absently flip through his deck. Their day had gotten off to a strange start. It was late morning now, the majority of it having been spent wandering the woods in search of the runaway.

“Hey, that one looks like my Lava Battleguard. I didn’t know there were two of them," Tristan said. Pulling out his own handful of cards, he thumbed through them to find said monster.

Joey took the proffered card and held it next to his Swamp Battleguard. “Huh. I didn’t know that, either. They look like brothers or something. I didn’t think you were into playing this game; do you have a full deck?”

“Nah, I just have some cards I think are cool. How ‘bout you hang onto this one for now if they’re meant to be a pair. Might be useful.”

“Ah, thanks!” Joey slipped the card in with the rest, his mood now slightly lifted. He got back to his feet. “I say we take Téa’s advice and get back to it.”

“I guess so,” Yugi said regretfully. He gave the woods one last look as they headed back to where they had last seen an arena and other duelists.

 _Mokuba will be all right. We can’t do everything at once,_ Yami consoled.

 _Why do you always make so much sense,_ Yugi grumbled, more annoyed with himself than anything. A brush of amusement touched his mind. Yami understood.

“Is he your dueling monkey or something? What’s going on here?” Joey was saying as Yugi caught up with them. Joey was talking to Mai Valentine who was standing next to Rex Raptor.

 _I’m assuming Rex is the monkey in this situation?_ Yami asked innocently. Yugi choked back a snort of laughter.

“Look, we all know he was a regional finalist, so I get it if you’re too chicken to take him on,” Mai said, “but I thought you’d like a challenge. Or maybe I was wrong! He has five star chips so even if you win it’s not like he’s out of the tournament.”

“I have a score to settle with Mai and she won’t let me duel her unless I beat you first,” Rex said flatly.

“I . . . guess that explains it,” Joey said, still a little confused at their apparent partnership.

“What happened with the room is your own fault,” Mai shot back at Rex, “and Wheeler is easy pickings. So you boys gonna duel or what?”

“Easy pickings? Didn’t he just beat you, like, yesterday?” Tristan said, trying not to laugh.

Joey puffed at the insult. “I’ll show you easy! Yeah, I’ll duel him! Let’s go.” And he stalked off through the scattered crowd in the direction of the nearest empty arena. Yugi was about to follow when Téa caught him by the arm.

“Hey, what color was the handkerchief Mokuba had?” she asked him in a low voice.

“Uh, red, I think. Why?”

“I thought I saw something. Come with me real quick?”

“Sure,” he nodded. “Hey, Tristan, we’ll be right back!”

Tristan, now a fair distance away with the rest, turned at the sound of his name and gave a wave of acknowledgement. Yugi could see that Rex and Joey were approaching the platforms. It wouldn’t hurt to miss the beginning of the duel. He turned back to Téa. “Lead the way!”

She led him off away from the crowd and close to the way they had come. Yugi tried to ignore the castle and the anxiety it brought on, keeping his eyes on Téa as she walked a few feet ahead. She doubled back a few times, turning this way and that, following a path only she could see. After closely examining a tree for a minute she huffed out a breath. “It was this way, I swear. I saw it, like . . . on something? It was low to the ground, that’s why I noticed it.” Taking a few more steps forward she let out a bark of triumph. Her top half disappeared into a large bush, and when she stepped back out she held up her prize: the red handkerchief, torn by the branches it had been caught on.

“We really were close! Is there any way of telling where he went from here?” Yugi asked. He was already scanning the ground for shoe prints that weren’t their own.

“But did he leave this here on purpose to make a false trail? He could have doubled back,” Téa said. “Or maybe he hid in here and didn’t notice he lost it.”

“I think we’ve hit another dead end, Tee. I can’t tell who these prints belong to. Do you wanna head back? We can always come look again after the duel.”

“Yeah. Man, this is annoying! I wish I knew if he was at least still on his own and not trapped in the castle again.” She tucked the handkerchief into her bag. They started back to the arena.

Yugi debated the question on his mind for a few minutes until his curiosity gave out. “Hey, can I ask why Mai gets under your skin so easily? Do you really just not like her?”

“I know I should just ignore her but I swear she gets me riled on purpose. She just has this act of being so high and mighty. She’s not even that much older than us, really! It just seems like it because we’re still in high school. I don’t know what she’s like outside of her arrogant duelist persona. Maybe we could be friends? I dunno.” Téa made a face. 

“Maybe we’ll get the chance to find out,” Yugi said.

“Ever the optimist,” Téa laughed.

They were coming up on the duel now. Yugi could see that Joey had both Lava and Swamp Battleguard on his side of the field. Rex was calling for his Serpent Night Dragon to attack, but it was deflected back at him and the dragon was destroyed.

“How’s it going here?” Yugi asked Tristan. Mai was standing down at Rex’s end, watching with arms crossed and looking like she couldn’t decide who she wanted to win.

“Joey’s doing pretty well! He managed to summon both Battleguards, which is cool. I feel like it’s anyone’s game at this point,” Tristan said. “He better be careful; he bet both his star chips.”

“That’s a bold move,” Yugi said.

“Where did you guys go?”

“We’ll explain after this,” Yugi said, glancing around at all the people walking by. “For now let’s hope Joey can win.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Most of my time is spent thinking up ways to get around describing every single move of the duels.


	10. Trial by Red Eyes

“You thought you’d seen it all, huh? Well say hello to my strongest monster! Red Eyes Black Dragon!” Rex Raptor slapped the card down onto the display. Tall and imposing, black scales so dark they looked to have hues of blue, the dragon stared down Joey’s side of the field. Bright red eyes shone from under sharp horns. It flapped its large wings several times for effect, kicking up dust. “Your pair of primates don’t stand a chance. I’ll add Dragon Nails to up its attack. Now, my dragon, inferno fire blast!”

The flames enveloped Swamp and Lava Battleguard. Joey winced as they shattered. All he had left was Time Wizard, still face down. Mai had called a warning to Rex when she saw him play it, remembering it was the card she lost to.

Rex had considered this as well. “Tell you what, Wheeler, let’s sweeten the deal. We each have one card on the field – how ‘bout winner takes the other’s card? You win, you get my dragon, and if I win I get your Time Wizard. Whaddaya say?”

Joey tried not to betray his confusion. He couldn’t discern the thought process that had led Rex to make this offer but it was tempting. That dragon would certainly improve his deck. He glanced down at his friends but they were just looking at him expectantly. Well, if they had no advice . . .

“All right, Rex, you’re on! My move.” He let out a breath. This was the only play he had left to make. “I activate my Time Wizard. Time roulette, go!” The red arrow at the top of its staff began to spin.

“You’re leaving this up to chance?! You’re crazier than I thought,” Rex said.

“What happens if it lands on a skull, again?” Téa asked.

“It’ll self-destruct and the damage will take a chunk out of Joey’s life points,” Yugi explained, his eyes on the wheel. The arrow was slowing down.

It ticked. Then ticked again, landing on a skull. Everyone watched in anticipation as with one final tick, it landed in the safety zone. “Aw, yeah!” Joey shouted. “Here comes the time warp!”

A vast brightness descended over the field, depicting eons passing by as time shot forward in the game. Stars and planets swirled around them in flashes of color and light. The light vanished to reveal the Red Eyes Black Dragon, who was now a precarious fossilized statue. Just as Rex went to make his move the dragon’s head cracked and fell to the ground. It dissolved into dust as the rest of its body fell. Rex let out a groan as his life point counter hit zero.

“Nice job, Joey!” Téa cheered.

“Looks like that pile of dust is mine now,” Joey grinned. That was a close win – he’d only had 235 life points left. He’d made it through to duel another day.

* * *

They called it quits for now on the upbeat note of Joey’s victory. Yugi still felt queasy being under the shadow of Pegasus’ castle. He wasn’t focused enough for a duel. After debating where to spend the night they decided it would be nice to get away from the crowd and sleep on the ship. Their afternoon was spent following the main path down to the dock. Tristan stopped at a sign indicating a picnic area branching just off the end of the path that would get them to the ship. “Do you guys want to eat outside? I can start a fire and then we can tell ghost stories!” he said.

“Ghost stories? Really? Lookin’ at your face is scary enough,” Joey replied, which earned him a shove.

“All right you two, cut it out. Let’s go sit, I’m hungry,” Téa said.

The sun was well into setting, casting an orange glow across the water. The ship was within eyesight from the picnic area. There were six tables spread out, each with its own firepit. A few of them had cooking grates for any visitors ambitious enough to attempt open flame grilling. Lanterns were hung around the perimeter. Téa and Yugi dug out the food they had in their bags, spreading it out for everyone to browse. Joey had set up a grate over the fire and was carefully setting something on it.

“Joey, I don’t think you should cook the candy bars,” Yugi said.

“Back off, I know what I’m doin’.”

They were all so absorbed in Joey’s experiment that none of them heard the approaching footsteps. “That has to be some kind of food crime,” came a voice from the dark.

“Mai, is that you?” Yugi waited for his eyes to adjust as he looked in her direction.

“I decided to come back to the ship for the night. It’ll only take me one more duel to win entry into the castle so it’s not like I need to keep running around the island,” she said, seating herself at their table. Téa gave her a look but didn’t argue the self-invite.

“Yeah, we haven’t come back since we got here,” Yugi said. “It’s been what, three days?”

“Yep,” Joey said. He scooped his now warmed candy bar off the grate and attempted to eat it faster than it could continue to melt. His hunger had apparently beat his worry of looking like an idiot in front of Mai.

“Hey, guys, come help me get some more firewood,” Tristan said. “You ladies feel free to stay here where it’s warm.”

“Oh, such a gentleman,” Mai teased. She watched as the three boys disappeared in the dark and then turned to Téa. “You really spend all your time with them, huh?”

“They’re my friends. I’ve known Yugi since we were in elementary school,” Téa said. She was trying hard not to get defensive. “I mean. They’re not my _only_ friends. But I’ll admit sometimes I do want some female company.”

Mai rapped her nails on the table. “Most of the people I call my friends are duelists but I travel alone. I like my independence. No one to worry about as I go.”

“That sounds . . . quiet,” Téa said.

“It’s really not so bad.” Mai paused. “I want to apologize for being so harsh when we first met. I’m used to that kind of banter in the professional circuits – people are much more competitive in those games. And most of them are at least my age or older. It’s hard not to put on act when that’s what you’re used to.”

It was Téa’s turn to sit in silence; she hadn’t been expecting such a conversation. “Well. Apology accepted. And you’re welcome to hang out with us if you want, even though I know you think we’re just kids.”

“Thanks. Might take you up on that. But I gotta get going; make sure those boys don’t burn the place down, yeah?” And with that Mai was gone, disappearing in the dark beyond the lanterns. Téa turned at the sound of the boys approaching. There was a fourth voice with them that she didn’t immediately place.

“Hey, look who we found!” Joey said. Ryou Bakura was next to him; he gave Téa a little wave.

“Oh, hi! I knew I’d seen you around,” she said.

“Where’s Mai?” Yugi asked, setting down his load of firewood.

“She had to go. Bedtime,” Téa said.

The boys settled themselves, Yugi sitting with Téa at the table while the others sat on the ground around the fire. They had enthusiastically been catching Bakura up on the duels so far and continued to do so while they finished eating. The fire crackled but its heat wasn’t needed. The night had remained pleasantly warm.

“Do any of you have a favorite card?” Bakura asked when Joey had told how he won the Red Eyes Black Dragon.

“Oh, Flame Swordsman for sure,” Joey replied. “He kicks butt.”

“I don’t duel as much but I really like Magician of Faith,” Téa said.

Tristan was looking though his cards. “I duel even less but I picked this one up ‘cause it’s so cool – the Cyber Commander.”

“How about you, Yugi?” Bakura turned to him and something in his dark eyes was oddly off-putting. A similar feeling that the castle had given him earlier. Yami’s presence was suddenly stronger as he felt Yugi’s uneasiness.

“Um. Dark Magician,” Yugi said.

Bakura nodded. “A few magician fans here, I see. My favorite card is the Change of Heart. Hey, Yugi, do you want to duel now, just for fun? No star chips on the line. And you can add everyone’s favorite cards to your deck.”

“Yeah, why not!” Joey answered for him. Yugi was about to protest but Joey was already putting the extra cards into Yugi’s hand, clearly not picking up on whatever was making Yugi nervous about the situation.

“Excellent! But first, I have something here I think might interest you,” Bakura said. Something appeared around his neck, a large, round golden necklace. Five long cylindrical spikes hung evenly spaced from its lower half. But Yugi’s attention was drawn to the symbol in the middle of the circle – an eye. An eye that looked the eye on the door to Yami’s soul room and the eye on the Puzzle. This was another Millennium Item. 

Before Yugi could say anything a bright light burst from the Ring, an unseen force slammed into his chest, and he knew no more.

* * *

A darkness descended that could only be the Shadow Realm.

Yami looked around wildly as he realized he could no longer sense Yugi. The scene around him looked like where they had been in the real world, the campfire burning and trees swaying gently in the evening wind. He was sitting in the same spot Yugi had been. But it looked wrong here. Everything felt slightly off. The air was heavy.

“Where are my friends? Why have you brought us here?!” Yami demanded.

Bakura looked perplexed at the sound of his voice, realizing now that this was not Yugi in front of him. “So the Puzzle is inhabited as well,” he said slowly. “I didn’t expect this but it won’t stop me. I was going to just take the Puzzle off you but I suppose now I’ll have to duel you for it. Ah, I see you’re not keen on the idea. But I’ll make the decision easy for you – all you have to do is defeat me and I will release you and your friends.” He seated himself opposite Yami.

Yami reached hesitantly for Yugi’s deck. He might be strong enough to break himself free of the Ring’s control but he wasn’t sure he had the power to save the others. And he was not leaving here without Yugi. “What do you want with the Puzzle?” he asked warily.

“You’ll know soon enough. Are you ready?”

Yami placed the deck and drew five cards. Setting his jaw with determination, he looked up at his opponent. “Ready.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maybe continuity was the real enemy we made along the way.  
> Thanks to all who have stopped by for a read! I see your hits, kudos, bookmarks, and subscriptions and I appreciate them.


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